LAMBERT 

“THE 

HAIm^-FOOK  OF  NEEDLE  WORK. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF  ILLINOIS 
*m 

7 4 £>.44 
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THE 


HAND-BOOK 

OF 


NEEDLEWORK. 


THE 


HAND-BOOK  OF  NEEDLEWORK. 


BY 


MISS  LAMBERT. 


“ And  though  our  country  everywhere  is  filld 
With  ladies,  and  with  gentlewomen,  skilld 
In  this  rare  art,  yet  here  we  may  discerne 
Some  things  to  teach  them  if  they  list  to  learn.” 

John  Taylor 


WITH 

Numerous  Illustrations 

ENGRAVED  BY  J.  J.  BUTLER. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

J.  L.  GIHON,  102  CHESTNUT  ST. 

1854. 


4//,£ 

C<^,3 


TO  THE 


ILiilDE®®  ©IP  ‘H'lEElS  W M H lH)  IS  ID) 

®l)is  i)o!«tne 

is  MOST  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED 


BY  THE  PUBLISHER. 


1* 


679 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/handbookofneedle00lamb_0 


PREFACE. 


In  the  following  pages  I have  endeavoured  to  embrace 
those  subjects  which  appeared  most  worthy  of  notice  in  a 
Treatise  on  Decorative  Needlework,  and  by  combining  a 
brief  historical  sketch  with  a detailed  account  of  the  practice 
of  each  department,  to  render  them  more  generally  interesting 
than  a mere  Manual  of  directions  and  examples. 

I am  indebted  to  my  husband  for  his  assistance  in  some 
of  the  historical  notices,  and  again  for  his  permission  in  al- 
lowing my  maiden  name  to  appear  on  the  title-page,  as 
being  that  by  which  I am  more  generally  recognised  in  my 
avocation. 

It  may  be  stated,  that  this  volume  was  commenced  three 
years  since,  but  circumstances  (here  unnecessary  to  men- 
tion), occasioned  its  being  laid  aside  until  the  commencement 
of  the  present  year:  It  has  been  written  at  intervals  snatched 
from  my  other  employments,  and  I trust  that  the  accuracy 
of  the  details  will  obtain  that  indulgence  its  literary  merits 
cannot  demand. 


F.  S. 


. 


i 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

Introduction — 

Early  history  of  Needlework — The  time  of  Moses — The  ancient  Egyptians 
— Greeks  and  Romans — Helen  and  Penelope — Embroidering  of  the  Peplus — 
Needlework  of  the  Middle  Ages — The  Anglo-Saxons — Anglicum  opus— St. 
Dunstan — Needlework  practised  by  men — Hangings  or  veils — Tapestries — 
Bayeux  Tapestry — Work  of  Glueen  Matilda — Ancient  Pall  belonging  to  the 
Fishmongers’  Company — English  Needlework  in  the  sixteenth  century — Va- 
rious occupations  of  ladies  at  that  period — Needlework  noticed  by  Addison — 
The  close  of  the  last  century — Coloured  Embroideries — Print  work — Miss 
Linwood — her  pictures — Berlin  Patterns — Varieties  of  Needlework — Amuse- 
ment afforded  by  them 1 


CHAPTER  II. 

Tapestry — 

Described  by  Spenser — Decoration  of  walls  with  Tapestry — Mentioned  by  Ho- 
mer— Antiquity  of — Invention — the  Phrygians — Women  of  Sidon — Phssacia — 
Griffins  and  Centaurs — Athenian  Tapestry — Story  of  Arachne  and  Minerva 
— Introduction  of  Tapestry  by  the  Crusaders — Weaving  Tapestry — First 
practised  in  Flanders — Arras — Introduction  into  England — Patronized  by 
James  I — Manufactory  at  Mortlake — Charles  I and  Sir  Francis  Crane — 
When  Manufactured  in  France — Henry  IV — Colbert,  and  Louis  XIV — 
Manufacture  Royale  des  Gobelins — History  and  productions  of  that  Manufac- 
tory— Sully — Le  Brun — Napoleon — Tapestry  for  St.  Cloud — Evelyn’s  De- 
scription of  Gobelin  Tapestry — Dyeing  Establishment,  and  Drawing-school 
of  the  Gobelins — -The  basse  and  haute  lisse — Working  of  Tapestry — Instru- 
ments— Cartoons  of  Raffaelle — Tapestry  of  St.  Mary’s  Hall,  Coventry — 
Hampton  Court 17 


CHAPTER  III. 

Materials  in  General — 

The  Products  of  the  A nimal,  the  Vegetable,  and  Mineral  Kingdoms — Various 
Materials  employed — Needlework  of  the  present  day — Materials  used  by  Miss 
Linwood — Facilities  now  possessed — Variety  of  Colours — Paper  Patterns — 
Implements 27 


X 


CONTENTS. 


Wool — 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Its  Importance — Description  of  Sheep’s  Wool — the  product  of  Cultivation— 
its  History  and  Preparation — Merino,  whence  derived — Invention  of  Spinning 
and  Weaving — mentioned  by  Moses — Linen  and  woollen  cloths  of  the 
Egyptians — Duties  of  Women  in  the  Primitive  Ages — Produce  of  white 
Wool — Dyeing — German  Wool — Prepared  at  Gotha — Introduction  of  Merino 
sheep  into  Saxony — First  reared  at  Stolpen — Improvement  in  the  quality  of 
their  Wool — Different  qualities  of  Wool — Employed  for  Needlework — Zephyr 
Merino — Berlin  Wool — Superiority  of— Its  qualities  and  capabilities — Used 
for  Canvas-work  and  Embroidery — for  Knitting,  Netting,  and  Crochet — 
Varieties  and  duality  of  German  Wool  as  prepared  for  Needlework — English 
W ool — Grounding — W orsteds — Crewels — Y arn — Fleecy — Hamburgh  W ool 
— German  Fleecy — Antiquity  of  the  Art  of  Dyeing — Discovery  of  the  Tyrian 
Purple — Anecdote  relating  to 30 


Silk — 


CHAPTER  V. 


Antiquity  of  its  use  by  the  Chinese — Silkworms  introduced  into  India  and 
Persia — Carried  to  Constantinople — Into  Greece— Palermo — Calabria — Italy 
and  Spain — Rearing  of  Silkworms  in  France — The  Silkworm  of  Ceos — 
Gluantity  of  Silk  used  in  England — Use  of  Silk  among  the  Romans — Its 
rarity — Sold  for  its  weight  in  Gold — Heliogabalus  first  wore  a Silken  Robe — 
General  use  of  Silk  at  Rome — Silkworm  described  by  Pausanias — Spinning 
and  weaving  Silk  introduced  into  England — Marriage  of  the  daughter  of 
Henry  III — Silk- women  in  the  Reign  of  Henry  IV — Silk  Stockings  worn  by 
Henry  VIII — Anecdote  of  Glueen  Elizabeth — Broad  Silk  manufactured  in  the 
time  of  James  I — Silk-throwing  Mill — Improvements  of  the  Manufacture  in 
England — Lines,  by  Cowper,  on  the  Silkworm — Varieties  of  Silk — Their 
employment  in  Needlework — Mitorse  Silk — Netting  Silk — Sewing  Silks — 
Crochet  Silk — Dacca  Silk — Floss  Silk — Bourre  de  Soie — Spun  Silk — Other 
materials  resembling  Silk — the  Spider — Pinna — Spun  Glass  ...  44 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Gold  and  Silver— 

Used  in  the  earliest  Ages  for  Embroidery — Mentioned  in  Exodus — Invention 
ascribed  to  Attalus — The  Robe  of  Agrippina — The  Tunic  of  Heliogabalus — 
Mantle  of  the  statue  of  Jupiter — Vulcan’s  Net — Remains  of  ancient  wire- 
work — Wire-drawing  supposed  to  have  been  known  to  the  Egyptians — Gold 
thread  in  the  time  of  the  Romans— Gold  and  Silver  Thread  of  the  present 
day — Its  manufacture — Mosaic  Gold — Wire-drawing  first  practised  at  Nurem- 
berg— Its  introduction  into  England — Manufacture  of  Gold  and  Silver  for 
Needlework — Gold  thread  of  the  Chinese — Passing — Gold  cord — Gold  braid — 
Bullion — Spangles — Lama  and  Paillon — Gold  beads — Gold  fringes — Military 
embroidery 56 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Chenille,  Braid,  etc. — 

Derivation  of  the  term  Chenille — Chenilles  of  Silk,  and  Wool — Its  manufac- 
ture— Application  of — Braids — Their  various  kinds — Application  of — Union 
Cord — Straw — Nacre  and  Ecaille — Velvet — Flowers  made  of— Beads — Bugles 
— Paillons  and  Paillettes — Crepe — China  Ribbon  ....  64 


CONTENTS. 


XI 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Canvas— 

Different  manufactures  of — Various  sizes — How  designated — Mosaic  Canvas 
—Silk  Canvas — Flexible  Canvas — Cotton  Canvas — English,  French,  and 
German — Striped  Canvas — Imitation  Silk  Canvas — Thread  Canvas — Penelope 
Canvas — Canvas  for  Tapestry-stitch — Flattened  Canvas — Its  use — Woollen 
Canvas — Bolting *70 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Berlin  Patterns— 

Improvements  in  the  Art  of  Needlework  since  their  Introduction — Their  con- 
sumption in  different  countries — Manufacture  of— Process  of  colouring — Adap- 
tation for  working — Grounding — Defects  of  these  Patterns — The  remedy — 
Sorting  of  Patterns — Common  rules  of  painting — Arrangement  of  Colours — 
Faces  of  Figures — Skies — Materials  for  working  them  on — Lining  Berlin 
Canvas — Vienna  Patterns — English  work  from  Berlin  Patterns — History  of 
Berlin  Patterns 76 


CHAPTER  X. 

Drawing  Patterns  for  Embroidery,  Braiding,  etc. — 

Designing  of  Patterns — Drawing  on  paper — Pouncing — Tracing  on  the  ma- 
terial— Drawing  liquid — Large  patterns — Repetition  of  the  same  design — 
Method  of  MM.  Revel  and  Regondet — Patterns  on  muslins,  &c. — Changing 
proportions  of  Patterns — Drawing  upon  various  materials — Satin,  Velvet,  &c. 
— designing  on  the  material 84 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Implements — 

Needles — Manufacture  of — Their  antiquity — Knitting  Needles  and  Pins — 
Netting  Needles  and  Meshes — Crochet  and  Tambour  Needles — Filiere — 
Embroidery  frames — Large  frames — Table  frames — Standing  frames — Tam- 
bour frames — Screw  Embroidery  frames — D’Oyley  and  Shawl  frames — 
Meshes  for  raised  work — Purse  stretchers — Purse  moulds — Chain  mould— 
Fork  for  a chain 89 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Framing  Work — 

Dressing  a frame — Framing  canvas — Cloth  and  canvas — Velvet — Satin — Silk 
— Leather — Cloth,  &c. 101 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Stitches — 

The  working  of  stitches — Tent  stitch — Cross  stitch — Gobelin  or  Tapestry 
stitch  — Irish  stitch  — German  stitch  — Imitation  of  lace  — Various  fancy 
stitches  106 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Embroidery — 

Introduced  from  the  East — the  invention  of,  attributed  to  Minerva — The 
Phrygians — Story  of  Procne — Embroidery  mentioned  by  Pliny — other  ancient 


CONTENTS. 


xii 


authors — Homer — The  embroideries  of  Helen — Andromache — Abolish  in  the 
time  of  Moses — Embroidery  mentioned  by  Ezekiel — Embroidery  in  gold  in- 
vented by  Attalus — A law  of  Zaleucus — The  garments  of  Tarquiniu*  Priscus 
— Decorative  needlework — Derivation  of  the  term  Embroidery  —The  Chinese 
■ — Embroideries  from  Manilla — Embroidery  as  at  present  practised  in  China — 
Indian  Embroidery — Canadian — The  negresses  of  Senegal  —The  Georgians 
— The  Turkish  women — Modern  Greeks — The  women  of  Therapia— their 
extraordinary  works — Embroideries  of  Vienna — Milan  and  Venice — France — 
Saxony — Nancy  and  Paris — In  what  the  art  consists — Shaded  embroidery — 
Arabesque  or  Moresque  Patterns — Flowers — Historical  subjects,  landscapes, 
and  portraits — Various  materials  employed — Application  of — French  or  flat 
embroidery — Embroidery  in  chenille — Embroidering  coats  of  arms — Raised 
embroidery — Raised  cut  embroidery — Embroidery  in  gold  and  silver — Embroi- 
dery in  tambour — Chain  stitch — Embroidery  by  machinery — The  Weaver’s 
Song 112 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Canvas  Work — 

Rules  relating  to — Right  way  of  the  stitch — Berlin  patterns — working  from — 
enlarging  work  from — Cross  stitch  on  one  thread — Mixing  of  cross  and  tent 
stitch — Patterns  to  form  a centre — Grounding — the  mode  of  working — various 
colours  for — Gobelin  stitch — Colours — Sorting  Berlin  patterns — Flowers — 
Flesh  colours — Patterns  drawn  on  canvas — Crests  and  coats  of  arms — Intro- 
duction of  silk  with  wool — Increase  and  decrease  of  work  from  Berlin  patterns 
— Illustration  of 1-6 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Crochet — 


Its  varieties — Stitches — Directions  for  Working 

, 

. 147 

A sofa  pillow,  or  table  cover  .... 

. 149 

An  easy  Turkish  pattern  for  a table  cover  or  pillow 

. 150 

Another  Turkish  pattern  for  a table  cover,  etc. 

. 151 

A table-cover  or  pillow 

. 152 

Another  table-cover 

. 153 

Small  pine-pattern  table-cover 

. 154 

Making  up  crochet  table-covers 

. 155 

A crochet  slipper 

. 156 

Chanceliere  ....... 

. 158 

A plain  crochet  bag  in  silk  .... 

• ) 

. 159 

A crochet  bag  with  star-shaped  bottom 

. 160 

Persian  pattern  bag 

. 162 

A star  bottom  for  a bag  with  beads  . 

. 162 

A bag  with  steel  or  gold  beads 

. 163 

Another  bag  with  steel  or  gold  beads,  and  silk  of  two  colours 

. 164 

An  elegant  bag  in  blue,  white,  and  gold  . 

. 164 

An  open  crochet  bag  in  chenille 

. 165 

Other  patterns  for  bags  . . . . 

. 166 

A Greek  cap  in  crochet  silk  .... 

. 167 

A Greek  cap  in  coarse  chenille 

• » 

. 167 

A penwiper  in  plain  crochet  .... 

. 168 

A crochet  neck  chain 

. 168 

A plain  purse  in  crochet  .... 

. 169 

A plain  croehet  purse  with  square  and  round  ends 

. 169 

1 


CONTENTS. 


Kill 


A plain  open  crochet  purse 170 

A short  crochet  purse 170 

A sprigged  purse  in  open  and  plain  crochet 171 

Open  crochet  stitch  . . . . . . . . .171 

A purse  with  beads,  in  plain  and  open  crochet  . . . .172 

An  elegant  crochet  purse  with  gold  173 

Plain  double-stitch  crochet  purse,  pine  pattern  . . . .174 

Plain  and  open  crochet  purse .175 

Another  plain  and  open  crochet  purse 175 

A bridal  purse  17G 

A short  purse  or  hag  in  plain  stitch  double  crochet  . . .177 

A baby’s  cradle  cover,  or  a carriage  wrapper 178 

Another  square  pattern,  with  a border 179 

A round  D’Oyley  or  mat 180 

Travelling  bags 181 

Explanation  of  terms  used  in  crochet 181 

Hints  on  crochet . . . .182 


Knitting — 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


Unknown  in  England  before  the  sixteenth  century — mentioned  in  the  Row- 
leian  Forgeries — The  first  stockings  knit  in  England — Silk  stockings  worn  by 
Henry  VIII — Invention  of  Knitting — The  Spaniards — the  Scots — Knitting 
practised  in  Spain  and  Italy — Glueen  Elizabeth’s  stockings — The  invention  of 
the  stocking  frame — amusement  it  affords  to  the  blind — employment  to  the 
poor — Knitting  of  the  cottage  girls  in  Ireland — Works  on  knitting — . 184 


An  easy  stitch  for  light  scarfs,  shawls,  babies’  quilts,  etc. 
A D’Oyley  . 

Checked  or  matted  pattern 
Harlequin  quilt  with  tufts 
Turkish  knitting  . : 

Raised  knitting 
Knitted  fringe 
Vandyke  border 
A scalloped  fringe  or  border 
Another  knitted  fringe 

A spaced  fringe  for  a crochet  table  cover,  etc. 

Knitted  insertion 
Bonnets  de  nuit  d’hommes 
Double  nightcap 
Opera  cap 

Barege  knitting  for  shawls 
Shetland  shawl  patterns  . 

A Shetland  knitted  scarf 
A Brioche 

Bourse  a la  Josephine 
German  purse 
A strong  knitted  purse 
Open  stitch  purse  with  beads 
Herringbone,  or  Shetland  stitch  for  a pur 
A pence  jug  or  purse 
Star-pattern  shawl  in  two  colours 
Plain  ribbed  muffatees 


187 

188 
188 
188 
190 

190 

191 

191 

192 

193 
193 

193 

194 

194 

195 

197 

198 

199 

200 
201 
201 
202 
202 
202 

203 

204 

205 


2 


XIV 


CONTENTS. 


Graham  muffatees . . 205 

Another  pair  of  muffatees 206 

Pattern  for  a chair  tidy  or  D’Oyley 207 

Double  knitting  for  comforters,  etc.  208 

A knitted  bag,  with  black  or  garnet  beads 209 

Dotted  knitting  for  babies’  shoes,  etc 209 

A knitted  bonnet-cap 209 

A knitted  muff  in  imitation  of  sable  . . . . * .210 

Another  muff  210 

A baby’s  shoe  211 

Another  very  pretty  baby’s  shoe 212 

A baby’s  stocking 213 

A double  knitted  scarf,  in  two  colours  . . 214 

Cable  knitting 215 

Knitted  cuffs 215 

Cover  for  an  air  cushion  216 

A fish  napkin,  D’Oyley,  or  Tidy 216 

A knitted  mat 217 

Close  stitch  for  a waistcoat,  etc 217 

Honeycomb  stitch,  for  a bag 218 

Baby’s  hood 218 

Long  sleeves  to  wear  under  the  dress 219 

Open  stitch  for  a light  shawl,  D’Oyley,  etc.  ..  . . . . 219 

Jarretieres 219 

Explanation  of  terms  used  in  knitting 220 

A weaver’s  knot 221 

Hints  or!  knitting  221 

The  fez  manufactory  at  Constantinople 222 

Barege,  Shetland,  and  Sanquhar  knitting 222 

CHAPTER  XVIII.  * 

Netting 

Antiquity  of  the  Art — The  nets  of  the  Egyptians — mention  of,  by  Pliny  and 
Herodotus — Fishermen’s  nets — Directions  for  netting — The  netting  knot  224 

Plain  netted  gentleman’s  purse 228 

A Lady’s  purse 229 

Gentleman’s  purse  with  ends  of  different  colours  ....  229 

A lady’s  purse  with  points 229 

A pretty  purse  with  chine  silk  .......  230 

Netting  with  beads  .........  230 

A plain  netted  purse  with  a bead  mouth 230 

A prettjkseme  purse  with  steel  or  gold  beads  ....  231 

'An  elegant  netted  purse  with  steel  beads 231 

Plain  netted  mittens  232 

A knitter’s  bag  with  ring 232 

A checked  or  dice  pattern  purse 233 

Grecian  netting  or  filet  rose 233 

A purse  in  Grecian  netting  ........  234 

Mittens  in  Grecian  netting 234 

Netted  fringe  . 235 

Single  diamond  netting  235 

Treble  diamond  netting  236 

Diamond  netting,  with  five  stitches  236 


CONTENTS. 


XV 


Seme  purse,  diamond  pattern  238 

Open  plain  netting,  or  filet  a Bagaette 239 

Fond  de  Berlin 239 

Filet  rose 240 

Filet  a Baton  rompu 240 

Filet  Rond 241 

Netted  mittens  with  silk  and  wool  .......  241 

Netted  cuff  with  silk  and  wool 242 


CHAPTER  XIN. 

Braiding  and  Applique — 

Simplicity  of  braid  work — pxecufced  by  the  Turks  and  Greeks — braiding  in 
various  materials — Patterns  for — working  of — Introduction  of  gold  cord — 
Groups  of  flowers  in  braid — Adaptation  of  braid  work — Union  cord — Silk  for 
sewing  on  braid — finishing  of  braid  work — Applique — materials  of  which  it  is 
composed — its  application — stamped  leather — Lames  de  velours  . . 243 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Bead  Work — 

German  bead  work — its  application — Glass  beads — paucity  of  their  colours— 
Turquoise  beads — Gold  and  silver  beads — Steel  beads — Designs  for  bead 
work — Introduciion  of  beads  in  other  works — Tricot — duality  of  beads — Can- 
vas for  bead  work — Manufacture  of  glass  beads  ....  247 

• 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Needlework  of  the  English  duEENS  and  Princesses — 

The  four  daughters  of  Edward  the  Elder — dueen  Matilda — Adelais,  wife  of 
Henry  I — Katharine  of  Arragon — mention  of,  by  Shakspeare — Sonnet — Anne 
Boleyn — Lady  Jane  Grey  — dueen  Mary — Sonnet — dueen  Elizabeth  — 
Sonnet — Mary,  dueen  of  Scots — dueen  Mary  II — dueen  Charlotte  and  the 
Princesses — The  Princess  Royal,  dueen  of  Wurtemburg — The  Princess 
Sophia — The  Princess  Augusta — The  Princess  Amelia — The  Duchess  of 
York — The  Duchess  of  Gloucester — dueen  Adelaide — -Her  Majesty — The 
Duchess  of  Kent 250 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Conclusion — The  Praise  of  the  Needle — 


The  “ Needle’s  Excellency” — Poem  by  John  Taylor— rarity  of  the  work- 
some  account  of  the  Water  Poet 258 


CONTENTS  TO  MRS.  GAUGAIN. 


PAGE 


Bag  in  purse  cord,  (not  purse  silk,) 

spider-net 291 

Bag,  very  beautiful  shaded 291 

Bag,  handsome  crotchet 295 

Bed-Cover,  Russian  crotchet-stitch...  284 

Boot,  warm  and  useful  for  a baby 288 

Boot,  long 290 

Cap  for  wearing  under  the  bonnet 299 

Comfort,  scale  stitch 277 

Comfort 287 

Coverlet,  Baby’s,  in  garter  stitch 277 

Cuffs,  simple  and  pretty  dress  knit...  282 

Cuff,  another  very  simple, 283 

D’oyley’s,  set  of  open  square 274 

Echarpe,  petite  net,  for  the  neck 294 

Edging 279 

Edging,  beautiful  lace 283 

Fringe 278 

Guard,  strong,  for  a lady  or  gentle- 
man   300 

Hood,  Baby’s,  garter-stitch 277 

Kettle-holder.*; 296 

Muff,  Princess  Royal’s  scale  stitch...  276 

Muffetees 293 

Muffetee,  another 294 

Muffetee,  warm,  for  boys., 294 

Neckerchief,  summer 282 

Neckerchief,  the  roy,  triangular  net, 

or  Coiffure  a Neglige 286 

Net,  Grecian,  for  a veil 305 

Net,  dotted 308 

Net*  French  ground 309 


PAGE 


Netting,  round,  for  a gentleman’s  long 

purse 302 

Netting,  honeycomb,  for  veil 303 

Netting,  single  diamond 306 

Netting,  leaf. 307 

Purse,  long,  Queen  Victoria 273 

Purse,  long,  pretty  open  stitch 274 

Purse,  Prince  Albert’s 280 

Purse,  beautiful 283 

Purse,  Russian  crotchet-stitch 285 

Purse,  long  net,  for  a lady 301 

Purse,  long  net,  for  a lady 301 

Purse,  very  pretty  long  Grecian  net, 

for  a lady 304 

Purse,  long,  of  open  stitch  of  single 

tambour 311 

Purse,  long,  diamond  of  five  stitches  306 
Purse,  long,  plain  French  double  tam- 
bour   311 

Purse,  long,  French  tambour 312 

Purse,  open  tambour 313 

Purse,  open  tambour  stitch 313 

Scarf,  elegant  knit,  with  coloured 
^ * on >7 


Scollop  for  borders  of  veils,  collars, 

caps,  &c 310 

Scollop,  another,  for  border 310 

Scollop 310 

Shawl,  Chinee  Triangular  Wrapping, 

garter-stitch 281 

Stocking,  under  or  sleeping 290 

Tidy,  very  beautiful 278 


CONTENTS  TO  MRS.  J.  B.  GORE. 


PAGE 

Collar,  the  lace,  No.  1 322 

Collar,  lace  for,  No.  1 323 

Collar,  the  lace,  No.  2 «...  325 

Collar,  lace  for,  No.  2 326 


PAGE 


Shawl,  the  Shetland  Wool 321 

Shawl,  border  for  the  Shetland  Wool  322 

Slipper,  the  Royal  Brighton 324 

Purse,  the  China 327 


16 


CHAPTER  I. 


Introduction. 


“ The  various  kinds  of  needle-work  practised  by  our  mdefatigab.e  grandmothers, 
if  enumerated,  would  astonish  even  the  most  industrious  of  our  modern  ladies.” 

Douce. 

The  use  of  sewing  is  exceedingly  old.” 

J.  Taylor. 

EEDLEWORK  appears  to  have  been  not  only 
a pastime  for  noble  ladies,  but  the  principal 
occupation,  as  a source  of  pecuniary  advantage, 
for  women,  from  the  most  remote  periods.  If 
we  consult  the  earliest  writings,  abundant  proof 
found  of  the  high  estimation  in  which  this, — • 
the  most  elegant  and  useful  of  the  imitative  arts, 
been  held  in  all  ages,  and  in  every  country ; 
at  from  time  immemorial,  it  has  ever  been  the 
constant  amusement,  and  solace,  of  the  leisure  hours  of 
royalty  itself. 

In  the  time  of  Moses,  needlework  ranked  high  among  the 

arts  practised  by  the  nations  of  the  East, — embroidery  with 

2* 


2 


INTRODUCTION. 


gold  and  with  silver,  and  with  silk,  and  precious  stones,  being 
frequently  mentioned  in  the  sacred  writings,  particularly  where 
allusion  is  made  to  the  work  of  the  tabernacle  ; — a proof  that  it 
had  attained  a considerable  degree  of  perfection  at  a period  so 
remote  as  three  thousand  four  hundred  years  since.  Even  an- 
terior to  this,  needlework  must  have  been  greatly  cultivated  by 
the  Egyptians,  of  whom  the  Israelites  had  doubtless  acquired 
their  knowledge.  From  the  East,  this  art  spread  to  Greece 
and  Rome,  and  from  thence  over  the  whole  of  civilized  Europe. 

Our  knowledge  of  the  needlework  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans 
is  principally  to  be  gathered  from  Homer  and  Pliny.  The  names 
of  Helen  and  Penelope  are  familiar  to  every  one,  as  connected 
with  this  subject.  There  was  a memorable  custom  among  the 
Grecian  dames,  in  accordance  with  which,  they  could  not  accept 
a second  husband,  until  they  had  worked  the  grave-clothes  of 
their  deceased  lords,  or  his  next  of  kin  ; and  the  story  of  the  fa- 
mous web  of  Penelope,  as  related  by  Homer,  is  founded  upon  this 
fact. — Penelope  having,  as  she  thought,  lost  Ulysses  at  sea,  she 
employed  her  time  in  working  a shroud  for  Laertes,  the  father  of 
her  husband. 

11  Sweet  hopes  she  gave  to  every  youth  apart, 

With  well  taught  looks,  and  a deceitful  heart : 

A web  she  wove  of  many  a slender  twine, 

Of  curious  texture,  and  perplex’d  design  : 

My  youths,  she  cried,  my  lord  but  newly  dead, 

Forbear  awhile  to  court  my  widow'd  bed, 

Till  I have  wov’n,  as  solemn  vows  require, 

This  web,  a shroud  for  poor  Ulysses’  sire. 

His  limbs,  when  fate  the  hero’s  soul  demands, 

Shall  claim  this  labour  of  his  daughter’s  hands  : 

Lest  all  the  dames  of  Greece  my  name  despise, 

While  the  great  king  without  a covering  lies. 

Thus  she.  Nor  did  my  friends  mistrust  the  guile 
All  day  she  sped  the  long  laborious  toil ; 


INTRODUCTION. 


3 


But  when  the  burning  lamps  supplied  the  sun, 

Each  night  unravell’d  what  the  day  begun. 

Three  live-long  summers  did  the  fraud  prevail ; 

The  fourth  her  maidens  told  th’  amazing  tale  j 
These  eyes  beheld,  as  close  I took  my  stand, 

The  backward  labours  of  her  faithless  hand ; 

Till  watch’d  at  length,  and  press’d  on  every  side, 

Her  task  she  ended,  and  commenced  a bride.” 

The  ceremony  of  the  embroidering  of  the  peplus  or  veil  for 
the  statue  of  Minerva,  and  its  consecration,  has  been  handed 
down  to  us  as  one  of  the  highest  festival?  of  the  Athenians.* 
The  peplus  was  the  work  of  young  virgins,  selected  from  the 
best  families  in  Athens,  over  whom  two  of  the  principal, 
called  Arrephora,  were  superintendents.  On  it  was  embroidered 
the  battles  of  the  gods  and  giants  ; amongst  the  gods  was 
Jupiter  hurling  his  thunderbolts  against  that  rebellious  crew,  and 
Minerva,  seated  in  her  chariot,  appeared  the  vanquisher  of 
Typhon  or  Enceladus.f  The  names  of  those  Athenians  who 
had  been  eminent  for  military  virtue  were  also  embroidered  on 
it.  When  the  Panathenaic  festival  was  celebrated,  the  peplus 
was  brought  down  from  the  Acropolis,  where  it  had  been 
worked,  into  the  city ; it  was  then  displayed  and  suspended  as 
a sail  to  the  ship,  which,  on  that  day,  attended  by  a numerous 


* The  Panathenaic  frieze,  with  which  Phidias  embellished  the  outside  of  the 
temple  of  the  Parthenon,  represented  this  sacred  procession,  which  was  celebrated 
every  fifth  year  at  Athens  in  honour  of  Minerva,  the  guardian  goddess  of  the  city. 
The  remains  of  this  frieze  (one  of  the  principal  treasures  in  the  collection  of  Elgin 
marbles)  is  preserved  in  the  British  Museum. 

+ Vide  the  Hecuba  of  Euripides,  act  ii.  where  the  Trojan  females  are  lamenting 
in  anticipation  the  evils  they  will  suffer  in  the  land  of  the  Greeks  : — “ In  the  city 
of  Pallas,  of  Athena  on  the  beautiful  seat,  in  the  woven  peplus  I shall  yoke  colts  to 
a chariot,  painting  them  in  various  different  coloured  threads,  or  else  the  race  of  the 
Titans,  whom  Zeus,  the  son  of  Kronos,  puts  to  sleep  in  fiery  all-surrounding 
flame.” 


4 


INTRODUCTION. 


and  splendid  procession,  was  conducted  through  the  Ceramicus 

and  other  principal  streets,  till  it  had  made  the  circuit  of  the 
Acropolis  ; it  was  then  carried  up  to  the  Parthenon,  and  there 
consecrated  to  Minerva.* 

The  exact  nature  of  the  peplusf  has  been  disputed  ; but  it 
is  generally  supposed  to  have  been  a sort  of  awning  or 

covering  suspended  over  the  statue  of  the  goddess.  The 

following  description  of  a similar  covering,  but  of  more  ample 

dimensions,  is  given  in  the  u Ion”  of  Euripides  : 

“Then  from  the  treas’ry  of  the  god  he  takes 
The  consecrated  tap’stry,  splendid  woof! 

To  clothe  with  grateful  shade  the  wondrous  scene. 

First  o’er  the  roof  he  spreads  the  skirted  peplus, 

(The  skirts  on  every  side  hang  waving  down), 

Spoil  of  the  Amazons,  the  votive  gift, 

That  Hercules,  heroic  son  of  Jove, 

Return’d  from  conquest,  offer’d  to  Apollo. 

On  this  rich  produce  of  the  loom  are  wrought 
The  Heav’ns,  within  whose  spacious  azure  round 
The  num’rous  host  of  stars  collective  shine; 

His  coursers  there,  down  to  his  western  goal 
The  Sun  has  driven ; his  last  expiring  beams 
Draw  forth  the  radiant  light  of  Hesperus  ; 

In  sable  stole  Night  urges  on  amain 

With  slacken’d  reins  her  steeds  and  dusky  car  ; 

The  Constellations  on  their  swarthy  queen 
Attend ; there  thro’  the  mid  heav’ns  win  their  way 
The  Pleiades  ; his  sword  Orion  grasps  ; 

Above  them  shines  the  Bear,  circling  round 
Heav’n’s  golden  axis  ; while  the  full-orb’d  Moon, 

That  halves  the  varying  months,  darts  from  on  high 


* Vide  Stuart’s  Athens , vol.  ii.  p.  8.  The  famous  statue  of  Minerva  was  of 
ivory  and  gold,  the  work  of  Phidias. 

+ “ Peplus,  a garment  and  the  like : the  use  of  it  is  twofold,  to  wear  as  a gar- 
ment, or  to  cover  something ; that  it  signifies  a covering,  we  may  conclude  from  the 
Pepli  of  Minerva.” — Pollucis  Onomasticon , lib.  vii.  c.  13.  For  a further  description 
of  the  peplus,  vide  Meursius  in  his  Panathcenaia  and  Reliqucz  Atticce. 


INTRODUCTION. 


5 


Her  grateful  splendor  ; there  the  Hyades, 

To  mariners  unerring  well-known  sign, 

Appear  ; and  gloomy  in  the  east  Aurora 
The  harbinger  of  day,  that  from  the  sky 
Chases  night’s  glittering  train.” 

In  the  Middle  Ages,  decorative  needlework  for  the  service 
of  the  Church,  if  we  may  believe  the  writings  of  Anastasius 
he  Librarian,*  and  others,  was  carried  to  an  excess  of  mag- 
nificence scarcely  to  be  credited.  The  vestments  of  the 
ecclesiastics,  the  altar-cloths,  the  palls,  and  the  veils  or  curtains, 
were  wrought  with  the  most  costly  materials ; — gold,  silver, 
pearls,  and  precious  stones,  being  lavished  with  the  utmost 
profusion. 

In  England,  during  the  Saxon  dynasty,f  the  women  were 
famous  for  their  needlework,  and  English  work  ( Anglicum  opus) 
was  long  proverbial  abroad  for  its  excellence.  | The  Anglo-Saxon 
ladies  were  accustomed,  like  those  of  Greece  and  Rome,  to 
embroider  the  exploits  of  their  husbands  on  the  hangings  of 
their  chambers  ; ladies  of  the  highest  rank  thus  occupied  their 


* Vide  Anastasius  Bibliothecarius,  de  Yitis  Pontificum  Romanorum.  Edit. 
Paris,  1649,  vol.  ii.  p.  1*27,  and  numerous  other  passages. 

t The  art  of  embroidery  appears  to  have  been  unknown  in  England  before 
the  seventh  century,  in  fact  we  find  no  mention  of  it,  or  even  of  the  weaving 
of  figured  textures,  until  about  the  year  680.  At  this  period,  in  a book 
written  by  Aldhelm,  bishop  of  Shereburn,  in  praise  of  virginity,  he  observes, 
that  chastity  alone  did  not  form  an  amiable  and  perfect  character,  but  required 
to  be  accompanied  and  adorned  by  many  other  virtues  ; and  this  observation 
he  further  illustrates  by  the  following  simile  taken  from  the  art  of  weaving: — 
“As  it  is  not  a web  of  one  uniform  colour  and  texture,  without  any  variety 
of  figures,  that  pleaseth  the  eye  and  appears  beautiful,  but  one  that  is  woven 
by  shuttles,  filled  with  threads  of  purple,  and  many  other  colours,  flying  from 
side  to  side,  and  forming  a variety  of  figures  and  images,  in  different  compart- 
ments, with  admirable  art.” — Vide  Aldhelm  de  Virginitate , in  Bibliotheca 
Pairum , tom.  xiii. 

X Gul.  Pictavens.  p.  211. 


J 


0 INTRODUCTION. 

leisure  hours,  as  also  more  particularly  in  working  various 
ornaments  for  the  Church,  and  the  vestments  of  the  Clergy.  We 
are  told  by  William  of  Malmesbury,  that  St.  Dunstan,  in  his 
younger  days,  did  not  disdain  to  assist  a pious  and  noble  lady 
in  the  drawing  of  a design  for  embroidering  a sacerdotal  robe, 
which  she  afterwards  wrought  in  threads  of  gold.  The  four 
daughters  of  Edward  the  Elder,  and  sisters  of  king  Athelstan, 
were  highly  praised  and  distinguished  on  account  of  their  great 
assiduity  and  skill  both  in  spinning,  weaving,  and  needlework  — 
accomplishments  which,  so  far  from  injuring  the  fortunes  of  these 
royal  maidens,  procured  for  them  the  addresses  of  the  greatest 
princes  in  Europe.  In  the  tenth  century,  we  find  Edelfreda, 
widow  of  Brithned,  duke  of  Northumberland,  presenting  to  the 
church  of  Ely  a veil  or  curtain,  on  which  she  had  depicted  with 
her  needle  the  deeds  of  her  deceased  lord.  Ingulphus,  in  his 
history,  mentions  that  among  other  gifts  made  by  Witlaf,  king 
of  Mercia,  to  the  abbey  of  Croyland,  he  presented  a golden  cur- 
tain, embroidered  with  the  siege  of  Troy,  to  be  hung  up  in 
the  church  on  his  birth  day.f  At  a later  period, — 1155,  a pair 
of  richly  worked  sandals,  and  three  mitres,  the  work  of  Christina, 
abbess  of  Markgate,  were  among  the  valuable  gifts  presented  by 
Robert,  abbot  of  St.  Albans,  to  Pope  Adrian  IV.  J Numerous 


* William  of  Malmesbury,  b.  ii.  c.  5. 
t Ingulphus,  p.  487,  edit.  1596. 

t Adrian  IV.  was  the  only  Englishman  who  ever  sat  in  St.  Peter’s  chair. 
His  name  was  Nicolas  Breakspear : he  was  born  of  poor  parents  at  Langley, 
near  St.  Alban’s.  Henry  II.  on  his  promotion  to  the  papal  chair,  sent  a 
deputation  of  an  abbot  and  three  bishops  to  congratulate  him  on  his  election  ; 
upon  which  occasion  he  granted  considerable  privileges  to  the  abbey  of  St. 
Alban’s.  With  the  exception  of  the  presents  named  above,  he  refused  all  the 
other  valuable  ones  which  were  offered  him,  saying  jocosely, — “ I will  not  ac- 
cept your  gifts,  because  when  I wished  to  take  the  habit  of  your  monastery 
you  refused  me.”  To  which  the  abbot  pertinently  and  smartly  replied, — “ It, 


INTRODUCTION. 


7 

other  instances  might  be  cited  from  the  monkish  historians, 
were  it  necessary  to  enter  more  fully  into  the  subject.  Maids 
used  to  work  with  their  mistresses  ; and  men,  especially  the 
monks,  practised  decorative  needlework.* *  In  fact,  to  the  time  of 
the  Reformation,  it  formed  the  principal  occupation  of  the  se- 
cluded life  of  the  nuns,  in  the  various  religious  houses 
throughout  England. 

Hangings  or  veils,  such  as  we  have  mentioned,  and— 

“ tapestry  richly  wrought 
And  woven  close.” 

were  the  description  of  needlework,  which,  in  former  times, 
principally  occupied  the  attention  and  fingers  of  the  fair. 
Remnants  of  these  may  still  be  seen  in  some  of  our  royal  and 
noble  residences.  The  designs  were  wor&ed,  or  embroidered,  with 
a needle,  with  worsted  or  silk  of  various  colours,  and  not  un- 
frequently  intermixed  with  gold  and  silver  threads,  on  a 
groundwork  of  canvass,  or  texture  of  cloth  or  silk,  in  a manner 
very  different,  however,  from  those  either  of  Flanders,  or  the 
Gobelins: — an  invention,  comparatively  speaking,  of  modern  times, 
partaking  more  of  the  character  of  weaving  than  of  needlework, 
and  of  which  we  shall  hereafter  make  more  especial  mention, 
when  speaking  of  tapestry  in  general. 

The  celebrated  needlework  of  Bayeux,  doubtless  the  most  ancient 
specimen  in  existence,!  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  work  of 

was  not  for  us  to  oppose  the  will  of  Providence,  which  had  destined  you  for 
greater  things.” 

* The  practice  of  needlework,  even  at  the  present  day,  is  not  entirely 
confined  to  the  softer  sex.  Many  men,  particularly  officers  of  the  army,  have 
not  deemed  the  use  of  the  needle  more  derogatory  than  that  of  the  pencil. — 
Most  of  the  best  specimens  of  embroidery  done  on  the  continent,  more  especially 
the  appendages  of  the  sacerdotal  and  military  dress,  are  executed  by  men 

t We  must  not  omit  to  mention  the  pall  used  at  the  funeral  of  Sir  William 


8 


INTRODUCTION. 


/ 


Matilda,  que&n  ot  William  the  Conqueror,  and  her  maidens,*  by 
whom  it  was  presented  to  the  cathedral  of  Bayeux  in  Normandy, 
where  the  canons  were  accustomed  to  gratify  the  people  with  its 
exhibition  on  particular  occasions.  It  consists  of  a continuous  web 
of  cloth,  two  hundred  and  twenty-seven  feet  in  length,  and  twenty 
inches  in  width,  including  the  borders  at  top  and  bottom,  these 
are  formed  of  grotesque  figures  of  birds,  animals,  &c.,  some  of 
which  are  supposed  to  represent  the  fables  of  iEsop.  In  the  part 
pourtraying  the  battle  of  Hastings,  the  lower  border  consists  of 
the  bodies  of  the  slain.  The  whole  is  worked  or  embroidered  with 
worsted,  representing  the  various  events  connected  with  the  inva- 


Walworth,  in  the  fourth  year  of  Richard  II.  a.  d.  1381.  This,  perhaps  the  most 
magnificent  piece  of  ancient  needlework  in  existence,  is  still  preserved  by  the 
Fishmongers’  Company.  The  ends  which  are  exactly  similar,  represent  St. 
Peter  seated  on  a throne,  clothed  in  pontificial  robes,  and  crowned  with 
the  papal  tiara ; he  is  giving  the  benediction  with  one  hand,  whilst  in  the 
other  he  holds  the  keys.  On  either  side  of  the  saint  is  an  angel  scattering 
incense  from  a golden  vase.  The  sides  of  the  pall,  which  are  also  similar, 
are  richly  decorated  with  the  arms  of  the  Fishmongers’  Company  at  either  end  ; 
the  centres  represent  our  Saviour  giving  the  keys  to  Peter.  The  faces  of  the 
figures  (including  those  of  the  merman  and  mermaid,  the  supporters  of  the 
arms)  are  most  beautifully  executed;  but  we  would  more  particularly  call  the 
attention  of  those  interested  in  such  works  to  the  face  of  our  Saviour,  which 
may  justly  be  termed  a masterpiece  of  art.  The  whole  is  richly  and  elabor- 
ately wrought  in  gold,  silver,  and  silk,  on  a coarse  kind  of  linen  cloth; 
the  ground  being  composed  entirely  of  gold,  with  a pattern  in  relief.  The  top 
of  the  pall,  it  is  supposed,  was  originally  embroidered  in  the  same  manner,  but  it 
has  been  lost,  and  its  place  is  now  supplied  by  a rich  brocade  of  gold,  bearing 
the  stamp  of  great  antiquity.  The  arms  of  the  Fishmongers’  Company  are,  azure, 
three  dolphins,  naiant  in  pale,  between  two  pairs  of  lucies,  in  salterwise,  proper, 
crowned,  or ; on  a chief,  gules,  three  couple  of  keys,  crossed,  as  the  crowns ; 
supported  on  the  dexter  side  by  a merman,  armed,  and  on  the  sinister  by  a mer- 
maid. holding  a mirror  in  her  left  hand ; crest,  two  arms  sustaining  a crown  j — 
Motto,  “ All  icorship  be  to  God  only.  ” 

* Though  Queen  Matilda  directed  the  working  of  the  Bayeux  Tapestry,  yet 
tne  greater  part  of  it  was  most  probably  executed  by  English  ladies,  who  were 
at  this  period,  as  we  have  before  stated,  celebrated  for  their  needlework. 


INTRODUCTION. 


9 


sion  and  conquest  of  England  by  the  Normans.  It  comprises 
altogether,  exclusive  of  the  borders,  about  five  hundred  and  thirty 
figures,  three  only  being  females.  The  colours,  as  may  be  readily 
supposed  from  the  period  in  which  it  was  executed,  are  not  very 
numerous,  consisting  only  of  dark  and  light  blue,  and  green,  red,  yel- 
low, and  buif ; and  these,  after  a lapse  of  nearly  eight  hundred  years, 
have  become  considerably  faded,  whilst  the  cloth  itself  has  assumed 
a brown  tinge.  This  curious  piece  of  work  appears  to  have  been 
wrought  without  any  regard  to  the  natural  colours  of  the  subjects 
depicted, — the  horses  being  represented  blue,  green,  red,  and  yellow, 
and  many  of  them  have  even  two  of  their  legs  of  a different  colour 
to  their  bodies; — as  for  instance,  a blue  horse  has  two  red  legs 
and  a yellow  mane,  whilst  the  hoofs  are  also  of  another  colour. 
The  drawing  of  the  figures  has  been  termed  “ rude  and  bar- 
barous,” but  in  the  needlework  of  this  age,  we  must  not  look  for 
the  correct  outline  of  the  painter.  The  work  is  of  that  kind 
properly  termed  embroidery; — the  faces  of  the  figures,  and  some 
other  parts,  are  formed  of  the  material  composing  the  ground, — 
the  outline  of  the  features  being  merely  traced  in  a kind  of 
chain  stitch.  Nevertheless,  taking  the  whole  as  a piece  of 
needlework,  it  excites  our  admiration,  and  we  cannot  but  wonder 
at  the  energy  of  mind  which  could  with  so  much  industry  embody 
the  actions  of  a series  of  events  ever  memorable  in  the  pages  of 
history.* 

An  idea  of  the  various  descriptions  of  needlework  practised  by 
English  ladies  in  the  sixteenth  century,  may  be  gathered  from 
some  of  the  poems  of  the  laureate  Skelton. 


* Some  beautifully  coloured  engravings  of  the  Bayeux  Tapestry,  from  drawings 
by  Mr.  Stothard,  have  been  published  by  the  Society  of  Antiquaries  in  the 
“ Vetusta  Monumenta ; ” — as  alsr  in  nhe  munificent  work  recently  Published 
r*  b'T  iVl.  A rcfcite  J>b:no * he*  Aociennes  a apissenas  nistnnea*. 


10 


INTRODUCTION. 


“ With  that  the  tappettes  and  carpettes  were  Iayde, 

Wheren  these  ladyes  softely  might  rest, 

The  sampler  to  sowe  on,  the  laces  to  embroyde. 

To  weave  in  the  stole  some  were  full  prest, 

With  slaies,  with  tavels,  with  hedelles  well  drest, 

The  frame  was  brought  forth,  with  his  weaving  pin  ; 

God  give  them  good  speed  their  work  to  begin. 

“ Some  to  embroider,*  put  them  in  prease, 

Well  gydyng  their  glotten  to  keep  straight  their  silke; 

Some  pyrlyng  of  golde,  their  work  to  encrese, 

With  fingers  small,  and  handes  as  white  as  mylke, 

With  reche  me  that  skayne  of  tewly  sylke, 

And  wynde  me  that  batoume  of  such  an  hewe, 

Grene,  red,  tawney,  whyte,  purple,  and  blewe.77 

From  the  time  of  Elizabeth,*  when  the  study  of  the  dead  lan- 
guages, and  the  cultivation  of  the  more  abstruse  sciences,  became 
the  fashion  of  the  day,  the  art  of  needlework,  although  possessing 
so  many  attractions,  and  capable  of  such  endless  variety,  would 
appear,  in  England  at  least,  to  have  been  much  neglected,  if  we 
except  some  occasional  intervals,  when  it  has  for  a time  resumed 
its  former  importance,  paramount  to  all  other  feminine  amusements. 


* At  this  period,  in  addition  to  the  pleasing  occupation  of  needlework,  ladies 
studied  Latin,  Greek,  Spanish,  Italian  and  French.  The  “ more  ancient  77 
among  them  exercised  themselves,  some  with  the  needle,  some  with  “ caul 
work  77  (probably  netting),  11  divers  in  spinning  silk,  some  in  continual  reading 
either  of  the  Scriptures  or  of  histories,  either  of  their  own,  or  translating  the 
works  of  others  into  Latin  or  English.”  The  younger  branches  also  applied  to 
“ their  lutes,  citharnes,  and  pricksongs,  and  all  kinds  of  music, 77  which  were 
then  understood.  The  preparing  of  confectionary  was  also  deemed  an  important 
household  duty  for  ladies ; the  distillation  of  waters,  and  the  acquiring  some 
knowledge  both  in  physic  and  surgery  likewise  occupied  their  attention ; as, 
until  the  time  of  Kenry  VIII.  there  had  been  no  licensed  practitioners  in  either 
of  these  branches  of  science.  The  mewing  of  sparrow  hawks  and  merlins, 
much  engaged  the  attention  of  the  younger  portion  of  the  female  sex.  One 
great  and  important  office,  however,  must  not  be  omitted,  namely,  the  distribu- 
tion of  charitable  doles  by  the  lady  of  each  parish  or  manor,  poor’s  rates  being 
then  unknown. — Vide  HolinsKed's  Chronicle . 


INTRODUCTION. 


11 


In  the  time  of  Addison,  its  discontinuance  is  thus  mentioned  in 
..  letter  to  the  Spectator.55— 

“ Mr.  Spectator,— 

u I have  a couple  of  nieces  under  my  direction,  who  so  often 
run  gadding  abroad,  that  I don’t  know  where  to  have  them. 
Their  dress,  their  tea,  and  their  visits,  take  up  all  their  time ; 
and  they  go  to  bed  as  tired  with  doing  nothing,  as  I am  after 
quilting  a whole  under-petticoat  The  only  time  they  are  not 
idle,  is  while  they  read  your  c Spectators 5 ; which  being  dedicated 
to  the  interests  of  virtue,  I desire  you  to  recommend  the  long 
neglected  art  of  needlework.  Those  hours  which  in  this  age  are 
thrown  away  in  dress,  play,  visits,  and  the  like,  were  employed,  in 
my  time,  in  writing  out  receipts,  or  working  beds,  chairs,  and 
hangings,  for  the  family.  For  my  part,  I have  plyed  my  needle 
these  fifty  years,  and  by  my  good  will  would  never  have  it 
out  of  my  hand.  It  grieves  my  heart  to  see  a couple  of  proud 
idle  flirts  sipping  their  tea,  for  a whole  afternoon,  in  a room  hung 
round  with  the  industry  of  their  great-grandmother.  Pray,  sir, 
take  the  laudable  mystery  of  embroidery  into  your  serious  consid- 
eration, and  as  you  have  a great  deal  of  the  virtue  of  the  last  age  in 
you,  continue  your  endeavours  to  reform  the  present.  I am,  &c.,” 

At  the  close  of  the  last  century,  needlework  of  all  kinds  was 
again  much  in  vogue.  Coloured  embroideries,  with  crewels  and 
silks,  in  imitation  of  paintings,  comprising  all  the  varieties  of  land- 
scape and  historical  subjects,  fruit,  flowers,  birds,  animals,  and 
shells ; these  were  principally  worked  on  satin  or  lute-string,  the  faces 
and  other  parts  of  the  human  figure  being  generally  painted  on 
the  material,  as  being  more  difficult  to  embroider.  Specimens  of 
these  are  not  unfrequently  to  be  met  with,  in  which  the  work  is 


12 


INTRODUCTION. 


most  beautiful  and  elaborate.  During  the  war,  a great  number, 
of  delicate  and  ingenious  kinds  of  work  were  done  by  the  pri- 
soners and  emigrants  in  fine  silk  and  hair.  The  ornamenting  and 
spangling  of  fans,  then  an  absolute  appendage  to  the  dress  of 
every  lady,  must  not  be  forgotten. 

Besides  the  coloured  embroideries,  much  skill  and  ingenuity 
were  displayed  in  what  was, termed  print-work , — a close  imitation 
of  line  and  dotted  or  stippled  engravings.  These  were  worked 
on  white  satin  or  silk  with  a fine  needle,  in  silks  of  various 
gradations  of  tint,  from  black  to  grey, — the  design  being  first 
drawn  upon  the  material ; the  darker  parts  were  worked  much 
closer  together  than  the  lighter  or  middle  shades,  and  in  those 
imitating  dotted  engravings  the  stitches  were  extremely  small : the 
whole  art  consisted  in  representing  as  closely  as  possible  the  lines 
of  the  engraver, — a work,  however,  which  required  both  skill 
and  patience  to  produce  the  beautiful  effects  which  we  sometimes 
see  in  these  pieces.  When  fine  engravings  were  copied,  the 
stitches  more  closely  resembled  those  of  the  usual  embroideries, 
but  were  kept  wider  apart,  so  as  to  imitate  the  black  and  white 
lines  of  the  engraver.  This  species  of  work  was  peculiarly 

adapted  for  representing  architectural  subjects.  In  addition  to  the 
above,  numerous  different  kinds  of  needlework  were  practised,  but 
the  mere  enumeration  of  these  would  be  productive  of  but  little 
benefit,  as  most  of  them  have  long  since  given  place  to  others  of 
a superior  description. 

In  a work  of  this  kind,  a “ Hand-book”  of  the  present  state 
of  needlework,  and  of  the  best  means  we  possess  of  bringing  it  to 
perfection,  it  is  scarcely  necessary  that  we  should  enter  more  fully 
into  the  early  history  of  the  art.  This  has  already  been  so  ably 
and  successfully  done  under  the  auspices  of  the  Countess  of 
Wilton,  and  withal,  in  so  entertaining  a manner,  accompanied  with 


INTRODUCTION. 


13 


such  deep  research,  as  to  leave  no  stone  unturned,  or  any  want 
upon  the  subject.  In  all  ages  needlework  has  been  applied  to 
the  same  purposes,  either  for  the  adornment  of  the  person,  or  the 
decoration  of  the  mansions  of  the  wealthy.  For  such  did  the 
maidens  of  Egypt  ply  the  needle;  and  again,  in  after  times,  those 
of  Greece  and  Rome  ;#  yet  be  it  remembered  that  they  also 
occupied  themselves  with  the  then  equally  feminine  labours  of 
the  distaff  and  spindle,  and  with  the  more  toilsome  mysteries  of 
the  loom,  at  which  they  were  pre-eminently  skilful,  as  is  fully 
proved  by  the  remains  of  ancient  textures,  which  the  researches  of 
modern  travellers  have  brought  to  light. 

It  is  scarcely  to  be  imagined  that  any  needlework,  either  of 
ancient  or  modern  times,  has  ever  surpassed  the  celebrated 
productions  of  Miss  Linwood.  This  lady,  who  is  now  in  her 
eighty-seventh  year,  commenced  her  labours  when  only  thirteen 
years  old;  her  last  piece  she  completed  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight.  The  works  of  this  accomplished  artist  are  executed  on  a 
thick  kind  of  tammy,  woven  expressly  for  her  use,  with  fine  crewels, 
dyed  under  her  own  superintendence;  they  are  entirely  drawn  and 
embroidered  by  herself,  no  background  or  other  unimportant  parts 
being  put  in  by  a less  skilful  hand,  the  only  assistance  she 
received,  if  indeed  it  may  be  called  such,  was  in  the  threading  of 
her  needles.  In  her  collection,  still  exhibited  in  Leicester-square, 
London,  is  her  first  piece,  the  Head  of  St.  Peter,  a copy  from 
Guido.f  The  “ Salvator  Mundi,”  from  Carlo  Dolci,  has  generally 
been  considered  the  finest  production  of  her  needle,  for  which  we 
are  informed  she  refused  the  sum  of  three  thousand  guineas. 

* In  the  simplest  days  of  Greece,  those  occupations  were  not  deemed  unsuit- 
able to  palaces : nor  did  a princess  degrade  her  dignity  by  superintending  the 
abours  of  the  loom,  the  distaff,  and  the  dyeing  vat. 

t Marked  No.  24  in  the  Catalogue. 


3* 


14 


INTRODUCTION. 


“To  raise  at  once  our  reverence  and  delight, 

To  elevate  the  mind  and  charm  the  sight, 

To  pour  religion  through  th’  attentive  eye, 

And  waft  the  soul  on  wings  of  extacy ; 

For  this  the  mimic  art  with  nature  vies, 

And  bids  the  visionary  form  arise.” 

The  “Woodman  in  a Storm,”  from  Gainsborough,  and  “Jep- 
tha’s  rash  Vow,”  from  Opie,  also  rank  among  her*best.  Her  last 
production  is  the  “ Judgment  upon  Cain,”  one  of  the  largest 
pictures  in  the  gallery. 

“ And  the  Lord  said  unto  Cain,  ‘ Where  is  Abel  thy  brother  V And  he 
said,  1 1 know  not : am  I my  brother’s  keeper  'l  ” 

“ And  he  said,  1 What  hast  thou  done  'l  The  voice  of  thy  brother’s  blood 
crieth  unto  me  from  the  ground. 

“ 1 And  now  art  thou  cursed  from  the  earth  which  hath  opened  her  mouth 
to  receive  thy  brother’s  blood  from  thy  hand. 

“ ‘ When  thou  tillest  the  ground  it  shall  not  henceforth  yield  unto  thee  her 
strength ; a fugitive  and  a vagabond  shalt  thou  be  in  the  earth.’ 

“ And  Cain  said  unto  the  Lord,  ‘ My  punishment  is  greater  than  I can  bear .” 

The  whole  collection  consists  of  sixty-four  pieces,  including  a 
portrait  of  Miss  Linwood  herself,  from  a painting  by  Russell. 

Within  the  last  few  years,  ornamental  needlework  has  again 
attracted  considerable  attention,  and  although  the  modern  style 
of  the  art  may  as  yet  be  considered  in  its  infancy,  it  has  already 
so  far  progressed  as  infinitely  to  surpass  the  labours  of  the  ingen- 
ious women  of  bygone  times.  Needlework  may  be  regarded  (if  we 
may  be  allowed  the  expression)  as  the  sister  art  of  painting ; the 
aim  of  the  accomplished  needlewoman  of  the  present  day,  being 
to  produce  as  true  a picture  of  nature  as  possible ; soaring  far 
beyond  the  common-place  ideas  of  the  ancient  embroideries,  which, 
perhaps,  are  more  to  be  admired  for  the  richness  of  their  materials, 
and  the  labour  bestowed  upon  them,  than  for  any  merit  they  possess 
as  works  of  art.  We  would  wish  to  see  the  needle  and  embroidery 


INTRODUCTION. 


15 


frame  rescued  from  any  doubt  as  to  their  utility,  or  their  capa- 
bility of  taking  a higher  stand  among  the  more  elegant  of  female 
accomplishments, — and  worthy  of  occupying  the  elevated  position 
in  which  the  talent  of  Miss  Linwood  has  placed  them. 

It  will,  perhaps,  be  urged  by  some,  that  needlework,  as  practised 
at  the  present  time,  is  but  a mechanical  art  ; and  the  recent 
invention  of  Berlin  'patterns  may  somewhat  favour  the  opinion. 
This,  however,  we  entirely  disown, — no  one,  who  regards  the  work 
of  the  mere  copyist  of  these  designs,  (as  commonly  done  for  sale 
in  Germany,  where  neither  taste  nor  judgment  are  displayed  in 
the  selection  of  the  colours,  nor  skill  in  the  appropriation  of  them) 
can  compare  it  with  that  of  the  talented  needlewoman,  who,  even 
though  she  may  have  worked  stitch  for  stitch  from  the  same 
pattern,  produces  what  may  be  justly  termed — a “ painting  with 
the  needle.”* 

No  feminine  art  affords  greater  scope  for  the  display  of  taste 
and  ingenuity  than  that  of  needlework.  The  endless  variety  of 
form  which  it  assumes  under  the  various  denominations  of  tapestry 
work, — as  gros  point , petit  point , and  point  de  Gobelin , — in  that 
of  embroidery  ; — and  again  in  the  apparently  intricate,  but  really 
easy,  mazes  of  tricot , filet , and  crochet , — each  in  their  turn  serving 
as  graceful  occupations  for  the  young,  and  an  inexhaustible  source 
of  amusement  for  those  in  a more  advanced  period  of  life  ; more 
particularly  the  latter  descriptions  of  work,  as  these  can  be,  and 


* All  descriptions  of  canvas  work  have  undergone  great  improvement  within 
the  last  few  years.  Even  so  recently  as  1829,  they  were  dismissed  with  the 
following  • brief  account,  in  a work  dedicated  to  the  pursuits  of  young  ladies. 
“Worsted- work,  on  canvas,  is  a subordinate  description  of  embroidery.  It  is 
applied  to  the  production  of  rugs  for  urns,  covers  of  ottomans,  bell-pulls,  and 
many  other  elegant  articles.  The  outline  of  the  pattern  is  sketched  with  a pen, 
on  canvas,  strained  in  the  middle  of  a frame.’’ — ! ! 


16 


INTRODUCTION. 


are  frequently,  practised  by  persons  even  when  labouring  under 
deprivation  of  sight.  It  has  opportunely  been  observed  by  Mrs. 
Griffiths,  “ that  the  great  variety  of  needleworks  which  the  in- 
genious women  of  other  countries,  as  well  as  our  own,  have 
invented,  will  furnish  us  with  constant  and  amusing  employment ; 
and  though  our  labours  may  not  equal  a Mineron’s  or  an  Ayles- 
bury’s, yet,  if  they  unbend  the  mind,  by  fixing  its  attention  on 
the  progress  of  any  elegant  or  imitative  art,  they  answer  the 
purpose  of  domestic  amusement  ; and,  when  the  higher  duties  of 
our  situation  do  not  call  forth  our  exertions,  we  may  feel 
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  we  are,  at  least,  innocently 
employed.”* 

In  conclusion,  to  quote  the  words  of  John  Taylor,  the  water 
poet,  it  may  be  said, — 

“Thus  is  a needle  prov’d  an  instrument 
Of  profit,  pleasure,  and  of  ornament, 

Which  mighty  queenes  have  grac’d  in  hand  to  take. 


Essays,  p.  65. 


CHAPTER  II 


ilcipestrj}. 


“ This  bright  art 

Did  zealous  Europe  learn  of  Pagan  hands, 

While  she  assay’d  with  rage  of  holy  war 
To  desolate  their  fields : but  old  the  skill : 

Long  were  the  Phrygians’  pict’ring  looms  renown’d 
Tyre  also,  wealthy  seat  of  art,  excell’d, 

And  elder  Sidon,  in  th’  historic  web.” 

Dyer. 

“ For  round  about  the  walls  yclothed  were 
With  goodly  arras  of  great  maiesty, 

Woven  with  gold  and  silke  so  close  and  nere 
That  the  rich  metall  lurked  privily 
As  faining  to  be  hid  from  envious  eye; 

Yet  here,  and  there,  and  everywhere,  unwares 
It  shewd  itselfe  and  shone  unwillingly'; 

Like  a discolourd  snake,  whose  hidden  snares 
Through  the  greene  gras  his  long  bright  burnisht  back  declares,” 

Faery  GLueene. 

HE  last  quotation  forms  part  of  the  description, 
given  by  Spenser,  of  the  beautiful  tapestry 
which  Britomart  saw  in  one  of  the  apartments 
of  the  house  of  Busyrane  ; and  the  poet  had 
probably  in  view  the  actual  specimens  of  tap- 
es iry  tnen  frequently  to  be  seen  in  the  principal  mansions  of  the 
nobility  in  England. 


18 


TAPESTRY. 


The  decoration  of  the  walls  of  palaces  with  tapestry,  appears 
to  have  been  a custom  practised  even  in  the  earliest  ages. 
Homer  says — 

“ The  walls,  through  all  their  length,  adorn’d 

With  mantles  overspread  of  subtlest  warp 
Transparent,  work  of  many  a female  hand.” 

The  mode  of  building  adopted  by  the  ancients,  and  even  in 
more  recent  times,  in  the  baronial  castles  in  England,  rendered 
such  a mode  of  decoration,  or,  at  least,  some  description  of 
lining  for  the  walls,  absolutely  necessary  : and  although  the 

term  tapestry  is  now  generally  restricted  to  one  species  of 
fabric, — such  as  that  produced  at  the  “ Manufacture  Royale  des 
Gobelins, :rp'and  at  Beauvais, — yet  it  was  formerly  applicable  to 
all  kinds  of  ornamental  hangings  for  the  walls  of  apartments  ; 
and  these,  before  the  loom  was  employed  to  furnish  a similar 
article  with  less  labour  and  expense,  were  generally  the  needle- 
work of  female  hands.* 

Tapestries  were  known  among  the  inhabitants  of  eastern 
countries  at  an  extremely  remote  era,  from  whence  they  were 
introduced  into  Greece  and  Rome.  The  invention  of  the  art, 
like  all  other  kinds  of  needlework,  has  generally  been  attri- 
buted to  the  Phrygians  ; the  women  of  Sidon,  long  before 
the  Trojan  war,  were  celebrated  for  their  tapestries  and 
embroideries  ; and  those  of  Phseacia,  the  island  on  which  Ulysses 
was  wrecked,  were,  according  to  Homer,  equally  noted. 

“ Far  as  Phseacian  mariners  all  else 
Surpass,  the  swift  ship  urging  through  the  floods, 

So  far  in  tissue-work  the  women  pass 
All  others,  by  Minerva’s  skill  endow’d 
With  richest  fancy  and  superior  skill.” 

* The  term  Tapestry  comes  from  the  French,  whence  it  is  derived  from 
the  Latin  word  Tapes  or  Tapete  which  again  comes  from  the  Greek  rdirns 


TAPESTRY. 


19 


It  is  supposed  by  Bottiger,  that  the  Greeks  took  their  ideas 
of  griffins  and  centaurs  from  the  grotesque  compositions  and 
fantastic  combinations  selected  for  the  display  of  the  talents  of 
the  needlewomen  in  this  department  of  oriental  art.  The  refined 
taste  of  the  Athenians,  however,  soon  became  visible  in  the 
design  of  their  tapestry  ; and  these  unnatural  combinations  no 
longer  covered  the  whole  surface  of  the  work,  but  were  con- 

fined to  the  borders  only,  while  the  centres  received  more 
regular  and  systematic  representations. 

It  is  narrated  that  Arachne,  a woman  of  Colyphon,  daughter 
of  Idmon,  a dyer,  was  so  skilful  in  working  these  tapestries 
with  the  needle,  that  she  challenged  Minerva,  the *  * Idess  of 
the  art,  to  a trial  of  skill.  She  represented  in  her  designs  the 
amours  of  Jupiter  with  Europa,  Antiope,  Leda,  Asteria,  Danae,  and 
Alcmene  ; and  although  it  is  reported  that  her  performance  was  per- 
fect and  masterly,  yet  she  was  defeated  by  Minerva,  and  hanging 
herself  in  despair,  was  changed  into  a spider  by  the  goddess.* 

After  the  fall  of  the  Roman  empire,  the  art  of  working 
tapestry  appears  to  have  been  lost  in  Europe,  until  it  was 
again  introduced,  as  is  supposed,  from  the  Levant,  by  the 
Crusaders,  as,  with  the  exception  of  the  far-famed  Bayeux 

Tapestry,  we  find  but  few  traces  of  it  until  that  period  : and 

from  the  early  manufacturers  in  France  being  called  Sarazins , 
or  Sarazinois , this  opinion  is  considerably  strengthened. 

or  rams.  According  to  the  best  authorities,  it  signified  an  outer  garment,  or 
covering  of  any  kind,  generally  composed  of  wool,  and  wrought  or  em- 
broidered in  figures  with  various  colours,  such  as  hangings  for  walls,  coverlets 
for  beds,  or  tables,  or  carpets,  or  even  for  horse-cloths.  The  term  is  thus 

used  in  the  writings  of  Pliny,  Virgil,  Martial,  and  other  Latin  authors. 

* Vide  Ovid’s  Metamorphoses , b.  vi.  Minerva,  as  the  goddess  of  the  liberal 
arts,  was  invoked  by  every  artist,  particularly  by  such  as  worked  in  wool,  em- 
broidery, painting,  and  sculpture.  In  many  of  her  statues  she  is  represented 
holding  a distaff  instead  of  a spear. 


20 


TAPESTRY. 


The  first  manufactories  for  weaving  tapestry  which  acquired 
reputation  in  Europe,  were  those  of  Flanders,  and  they  appear 
to  have  been  long  established  in  that  country,  principally  at 
Arras,*  before  they  were  introduced  either  into  England  or 
France  : the  precise  period  when  they  were  first  manufactured  by 
the  Flemings  is  uncertain.  Guicciardini,  in  his  history  of  the 
Netherlands,  published  at  Antwerp  in  1582,  ascribes  to  them  the 
invention  of  tapestries,  but  without  mentioning  any  particular 
date.  Whether  the  Flemings  did  or  did  not  derive  their 

knowledge  from  the  East,  to  them  is  certainly  due  the  honour  of 
having  restored  this  curious  art,  which  gives  a life  to  wools  and 
silks,  scasAsely,  if  at  all,  inferior  to  the  paintings  of  the  best 
masters.  The  weaving  of  tapestry  was  first  introduced  into 
England  in  the  time  of  Henry  VIII,  by  William  Sheldon  ; but 
it  was  not  until  the  reign  of  James  I.  that  it  acquired  any  par- 
ticular reputation.  This  monarch  greatly  patronised  the  art,  and 
gave  the  sum  of  two  thousand  pounds  towards  the  advancement 
of  a manufactory,  which  was  established  by  Sir  Francis  Crane  at 
Mortlake  in  Surrey.  The  patterns  first  used  for  making  these 
fabrics  in  England  were  obtained  from  pieces  which  had  already 
been  worked  by  foreign  artists ; but  as  the  tapestries  produced  in 
this  country  acquired  greater  celebrity  and  perfection,  the  designs 
were  furnished  by  Francis  Cleyn,  who  was  retained  for  that 
purpose.f  There  is  extant  in  Rymer’s  <cFcedera,”J  an  ac- 
knowledgement from  Charles  I,  that  he  owed  Sir  Francis  Crane 
the  sum  of  six  thousand  pounds  for  tapestries,  and  that  he  grants 


* From  whence  is  derived  the  term  “arras”  which  we  frequently  meet  with 
in  old  authors,  synonymous  with  tapestry.  Antwerp,  Brussels,  Oudenarde, 
Bruges,  Lille,  and  Tournay,  were  also  celebrated  for  their  tapestries  ; the 
latter  is  still  noted  for  its  carpet  manufactories. 

t Walpole,  vol.  ii.  p.  128.  t Vol.  xviii.  p.  112. 


TAPESTRY. 


21 


him  the  annual  sum  of  two  thousand  pounds  for  ten  years,  to 
enable  him  to  support  his  establishment. 

To  France,  however,  we  are  indebted  for  the  great  perfection 
to  which  this  curious  and  costly  art  has  been  brought.  Henri 
Quatre  first  established  a tapestry  manufactory  at  Paris,  about 
the  year  1606,  which  was  conducted  by  several  clever  artists 
whom  he  had  invited  from  Flanders ; but  this,  like  many  similar 
institutions  founded  by  that  monarch,  was  greatly  neglected  at 
his  death,  and  would  probably  have  been  entirely  so,  had  not 
Colbert,  the  minister  of  Louis  XIV,  with  a view  of  providing 
the  costly  and  magnificent  furniture  for  Versailles  and  the  Tuil- 
leries,  again  remodeled  it  upon  a more  secure  foundation,  and  from 
that  period  the  royal  manufactory  of  the  “ Hotel  des  Gobelins  ” 
dates  its  origin. 

The  working  of  tapestry,  although  a species  of  weaving,  is, 
nevertheless,  so  closely  allied  to  the  achievements  of  the  needle, 
that  a brief  description  of  the  “ Manufacture  Royale  des  Gobe- 
lins ” may  not  be  considered  uninteresting,  or  out  of  place  in  a 
treatise  on  the  art  of  needlework. 

As  early  as  the  fourteenth  century  dyers  of  wool  were  settled 
in  the  Faubourg  St.  Marcel,  at  Paris,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Bievre,  the  waters  of  which  stream  were  considered  as  favourable 
to  the  process  of  dyeing.  One  of  these,  named  Jean  Gobelin, 
who  lived  in  1450,  amassed  considerable  wealth,  which  his  descen- 
dants increased,  and  at  length  renouncing  the  business  of  dyers, 
filled  various  offices  of  state.  The  Gobelin  family  were  succeeded 
by  Messrs.  Canaye,  who  however  did  not  confine  their  attention 
to  the  dyeing  of  wool,  but  under  the  patronage  of  Henry  IV. * 


* Sully,  the  celebrated  minister  of  Henry  IV.,  says, — “ On  eut  de  la  peine 
a convenir  de  prix  avec  ces  celebres  Tapissiers  Flamands,  qu’on  avoit  fait 

4 


22 


TAPESTRY. 


commenced  the  working  of  tapestry,  which  until  that  period  had 
been  confined  to  the  Low  Countries.  To  these  succeeded,  in 
1655,  a Dutchman,  named  Glucq,  and  one  Jean  Lianson,  a 
workman,  and  a great  proficient  in  the  art.  Louis  XIY,  at  the 
suggestion  of  his  minister,  Colbert,  afterwards  purchased  the 
buildings  and  gardens  which  were  still  the  property  of  the  Gobe- 
lin family,  and  established  them  as  a royal  manufactory.  In  a 
charter  which  was  drawn  up  at  that  time,  the  building  is  called 
the  “ Hotel  des  Gobelins,”  from  which  circumstance  the  tapestry 
made  there  has  ever  since  been  known  as  “ Gobelin  Tapestry.” 
Skilful  artists,  weavers  and  dyers,  were  brought  from  Flanders 
and  attached  to  the  establishment;  and  in  1667  the  celebrated 
painter  Le  Brun  was  appointed  chief  director  of  the  Gobelin 
manufactory,  to  which  he  communicated  that  beauty  and  grandeur, 
his  admirable  talents  were  so  well  calculated  to  produce.  He 
here  painted  the  famous  series  of  the  battles  of  Alexander,  which 
were  afterwards  worked  in  tapestry,  and  still  remain  the  finest 
productions  of  the  Gobelins.  The  four  Seasons,  the  four  Elements, 
and  the  history  of  the  principal  acts  of  Louis  XIY,  from  his  mar- 
riage to  his  first  conquest  of  Franche  Comte,  were  also  from  the 
designs  of  this  master.* * 

At  the  period  of  the  French  revolution,  this  manufacture,  which 


venir  a si  grands  frais.  Enfin  il  fut  conclu,  en  presence  de  Sillery  et  de  moi, 
qu’il  leur  seroit  donne  pour  leur  etablissement,  cent  mille  francs,  que  Henri  fut  tres- 
soigneux  de  m’avertir  de  leur  payer ; { ayant,  * disoit-il,  grande  envie  de  les  con- 
server,  et  grand  peur  de  perdre  les  avances  faites  jusque-la. 7 II  auroit  seulement 
bien  voulu  que  ces  manufacturiers  se  fussent  contentes  d’autres  deniers,  que  ceux 
qu’il  s’etoit  reserves  pour  lui-meme : mais  enfin  a quelque  prix  que  ce  fut,  il 
falloit  les  satisfaire.” — Memoires , tom.  vi.  p.  371. 

* Engravings  of  some  of  these  will  be  found  in  “Devises  pour  les  Tapisse- 
ries  du  Roy,  ou  sont  representez  les  quatre  elemens  et  les  quatre  saisons  de 
l’annee.”  fol.  Paris,  1679. 


TAPESTRY. 


Og 

had  until  then  been  prosecuted  with  various  degrees  of  success, 
greatly  declined,  but  under  the  government  of  Napoleon  it  was  again 
revived,  and  has  since  been  successfully  carried  on,  although  not 
to  the  same  extent  as  formerly.  About  the  year  1802  ninety  per- 
sons were  employed  at  the  Gobelins,  chiefly  in  the  preparation  of 
tapestry,  for  the  palace  of  8t.  Cloud;  and  it  was  estimated  that 
150,000  francs  were  expended  yearly  on  these  productions.  The 
pieces  executed  are  generally  historical  subjects,  and  it  occa- 
sionally requires  the  labour  of  from  two  to  six  years  to  finish  a 
single  piece  of  tapestry.  The  cost  of  some  of  these  pieces  is 
enormous,  but  the  price  of  the  different  articles  is  regulated  less 
by  their  size  than  by  the  beauty  and  difficulty  of  the  work.#‘ 

The  productions  of  this  manufactory,  which  is  entirely  supported 
by  the  government,  are  chiefly  destined  for  the  royal  palaces,  or 
for  presents  made  by  the  king ; but  some  few  pieces,  not  designed 
as  such,  are  allowed  to  be  sold. 

Connected  with  the  establishment  of  the  Gobelins,  is  one  for 
the  dyeing  of  wool,  under  the  direction  of  able  chemists,  where 
an  infinite  number  of  shades,  mostly  unknown  in  trade,  ex- 
cept for  the  purposes  of  needlework,  are  dyed  for  the  tapestry. 
Wool  is  now  exclusively  used,  as  the  colours  are  more  permanent. 
There  is  also  a drawing-school,  in  which  the  principles  of  the 
art  are  taught,  and  an  annual  course  of  lectures  is  delivered 
upon  chemistry  as  applicable  to  dyeing 


* Evelyn  gives  the  following  description  of  some  Gobelin  tapestry,  then  new 
in  England,  which  he  saw  in  the  apartments  of  the  Duchess  of  Portsmouth : 
“ Here  I saw  the  new  fabriq  of  French  tapissry,  for  designe,  tendernesse  of 
worke,  and  incomparable  imitation  of  the  best  paintings,  beyond  anything  1 
had  ever  beheld.  Some  pieces  had  Versailles,  St.  German’s,  and  other  palaces 
of  the  French  king,  with  huntings,  figures,  and  landskips,  exotiq  fowls,  and  all  to 
the  life  rarely  don.” — Memoirs , p.  583. 


24 


TAPESTRY. 


The  Gobelin  tapestry  was  formerly  made  in  lengths  or  pieces, 
the  width  of  which  varied  from  four  to  eight  feet;  and  when  one 
of  larger  dimensions  was  required,  several  of  these  were  sewn  or 
finedrawn  together  with  such  care  that  no  seams  were  discernible. 
At  the  present  day,  however,  they  are  manufactured  of  much 
greater  widths,  so  that  they  seldom  require  to  be  joined  even  in 
the  largest  pieces. 

Two  methods  were  formerly  practised  in  the  manufacture  of 
tapestry,  known  as  those  of  the  “ basse  lisse ” and  the  “ haute  lisse  ; ” 
in  the  first,  or  low  warp,  which  is  now  relinquished,  the  loom 
was  placed  horizontally,  similar  to  common  weaving,  the  painting 
intended  to  be  wrought  being  beneath  the  warp;  and  the  process 
was  very  remarkable,  from  the  fact  of  the  tapestry  being  worked  on 
the  wrong  side,  so  that  the  artist  could  not  see  the  face  of  the  design 
he  was  weaving,  until  the  whole  piece  was  finished  and  taken  out 
of  the  frame.  In  the  “ haute  lisse”  or  high  warp,  which  is  still 
used,  the  frame  is  fixed  perpendicularly  before  the  artist  ; he  also 
works,  as  it  were  blindfold,  seeing  nothing  of  the  effect  he  pro- 
duces, and  being  obliged  to  go  to  the  other  side  of  the  loom 
whenever  he  wishes  to  examine  the  piece  he  is  executing.  The 
following  brief  description  of  the  mode  at  present  practised  at  the 
Gobelins,  may  perhaps  convey  some  idea  of  the  manufacture  to 
those  who  have  not  visited  this  most  interesting  establishment. 

The  frame  or  loom  is  formed  of  two  upright  pieces,  at  the  top 
and  bottom  of  which,  two  large  rollers  are  fixed  horizontally  : to 
these  rollers  are  fastened  the  longitudinal  threads,  or  warp,  com- 
posed of  twisted  wool,  wound  on  the  upper  roller,  the  work,  as  it 
is  executed,  being  gradually  wound  round  the  lower.  On  the 
inner  side  of  the  upright  pieces,  several  contrivances  (here 
unnecessary  to  describe)  are  placed  at  different  points,  for 
separating  these  threads  more  or  less  from  one  another,  in  order 


TAPESTRY. 


25 


to  admit  the  cross  threads  or  warp,  which  are  to  form  the  picture. 

“ to  whose  fair  colour’d  threads 

Hang  figur’d  weights,  whose  various  numbers  guide 
The  artist’s  hand  : he,  unseen  flowers,  and  trees, 

And  vales,  and  azure  hills,  unerring  works.” 

As  a sort  of  guide  for  the  artist  to  introduce  the  cross  threads 
in  their  proper  places,  he  traces  an  outline  of  his  subject  on  the 
threads  of  his  warp  in  front,  which  are  sufficiently  open  to 
enable  him  to  see  the  painting  behind  it. 

For  working  the  tapestry  three  instruments  are  required, — a 
broach,  a reed  or  comb,  and  an  iron  needle.  The  first  is  formed 
of  hard  wood,  about  seven  or  eight  inches  in  length,  and  two- 
thirds  of  an  inch  thick,  ending  in  a point  with  a small  handle, 
round  which  the  wool  is  wound,  and  serving  the  same  purpose 
as  the  weaver’s  shuttle.  The  reed  is  also  of  wood,  eight  or  nine 
inches  long,  and  an  inch  thick  at  the  back,  whence  it  gradually 
decreases  to  the  extremity  of  the  teeth,  which  are  more  or  less 
divided,  according  to  the  greater  or  less  degree  of  fineness  of 
the  intended  work.  The  needle  is  in  shape  similar  to  a common 
needle,  but  much  larger  and  longer  ; it  is  used  to  press  close 
the  wool  when  there  is  any  line  or  colour  that  does  not  set 
well.  The  artist  places  himself  behind  the  frame,  with  his  back 
towards  the  cartoon  or  picture  he  is  about  to  copy;  he  first 
turns  and  looks  at  his  design,  then  taking  a broach  of  the 
proper  colour  he  places  it  among  the  threads  of  the  warp,  which 
he  brings  across  each  other  with  his  fingers,  by  means  of 
the  coats  or  threads  fastened  to  the  staff ; this  he  repeats  every 
time  it  is  necessary  to  change  his  colour.  Having  placed  the 
wool,  he  beats  it  with  his  reed  ; and  when  he  has  thus  wrought 
several  rows,  he  passes  to  the  other  side  to  see  their  effect,  and 
to  properly  adjust  them  with  his  needle,  should  there  be  occasion. 


26 


TAPESTRY. 


As  tapestry,  however,  of  this  description,  is  not  the  work  of 
ladies,  it  would  be  tedious  for  us  to  enter  more  upon  the  subject : 
for  although  in  this — “ the  age  of  renaissance ” — it  is  the  fashion 
to  work  panels  for  rooms,  and  hangings  for  beds,  yet  we  do  not 
entirely  agree  with  the  “ Spectator,”  when  he  says,  “ how  memo- 
rable would  that  matron  be,  who  should  have  it  inscribed  on  her 
monument,  “ that  she  wrought  out  the  whole  Bible  in  tapestry, 
and  died  in  a good  old  age,  after  having  covered  three  hundred 
yards  of  wall  in  the  mansion  house.’ 


* The  Cartoons  of  RafTaelle,  which  have  been  justly  called  “ the  glory  of 
England,  and  the  envy  of  all  other  polite  nations,”  were  painted  for  the 
express  purpose  of  being  wrought  in  tapestry.  There  were  originally 
twenty-five  of  these  sacred  historical  designs,  but  seven  only  now  remain. 
They  were  executed  under  the  auspices  of  pope  Julius  II.  and  Leo  X. 
at  the  time  that  Raffaelle  was  engaged  in  the  chambers  of  the  Vatican. 
The  whole  of  them  were  sent  to  Flanders  to  be  worked  in  tapestry,  to 
adorn  the  pontifical  apartments.  The  tapestries  were  not  sent  to  Rome  until 
after  the  death  of  this  great  master,  and  the  cartoons,  which  were  greatly 
damaged  by  being  cut  into  strips  by  the  weavers,  lay  neglected  in  the  store- 
rooms of  the  manufactory ; where,  during  the  revolution  which  soon  after 
happened  in  the  low  countries,  most  of  them  were  destroyed.  The  seven 
which  now  adorn  the  gallery  at  Hampton  Court  were  purchased  by  Rubens 
for  Charles  I.  These  cartoons  fortunately  escaped  being  sold  in  the  royal 
collection  by  the  disproportionate  appraisement  of  them  at  £300,  while  the  nine 
representing  the  triumph  of  Julius  Csesar,  by  Andrea  Mantegna,  were  valued 
at  £1000. 

For  an  account  of  the  more  celebrated  ancient  tapestries  on  the  continent, 
we  refer  our  readers  to  M.  Achille  Jubinal’s  splendid  work,  Les  Anciennes 
Tapisseries  Historiees.  In  England,  the  tapestry  preserved  in  St.  Mary’s  Hall, 
at  Coventry,  although  much  mutilated,  is  well  worthy  of  careful  examination. 
The  finest  ancient  tapestries  in  existence  are  doubtless  those  at  Hampton  Court, 
which  are  supposed  to  have  been  presented  to  Cardinal  Wolsey  by  the  em- 
peror Charles  V ; an  interesting  description  of  these  will  be  found  in  Mr.  Jesse’s 
entertaining  little  work,  A Summer's  Day  at  Hampton  Court . 


CHAPTER  III 


illfltctrials  in  (Seucral. 


“From  fertile  France , and  pleasant  Italy , 

From  Poland , Sweden , Denmarke , Germany , 

And  some  of  these  rare  Patternes  haue  beene  fet 
Beyond  the  bounds  of  faithlesse  Mahomet: 

From  spacious  China)  and  those  Kingdomes  East, 

And  from  great  Mexico , the  Indies  West. 

Thus  are  these  workes  farrefetcht  and  deareky  bought, 

And  consequently  good  for  Ladies  thought 

John  Taylor. 

HE  products  of  the  animal,  the  vegetable,  and 
the  mineral  kingdom,  are  called  into  requisition 
for  the  service  of  the  needlewoman  : — the  east 
and  the  west  are  alike  laid  under  contribution 
for  the  various  articles  which  she  employs. 
Sint,  wool,  cotton,  flax,  and  hemp,  and  even  the  precious  metals 
— gold  and  silver,  are  formed  and  twisted  into  various  threads  to 
serve  her  different  purposes.  Nor  have  the  shells  of  the  ocean 
escaped  her  notice,  as  witness  the  splendid  works  in  nacre , of 
which  the  stamped  quill  work,  or  ecaille  (as  it  has  been  improperly 
termed.)  is  an  imitation.  The  feathers  of  birds,  the  scales  of  fishes, 
the  wing  cases  of  insects,  and  insects  themselves  ; the  barks  of 
trees,  the  skins  of  serpents,  furs,  mosses,  straw,  grass,  seaweeds. 


28 


MATERIALS  IN  GENERAL. 


and  precious  stones,  and  even  the  hair  of  the  fair  embroideress 
herself,  have,  each  in  their  turn,  furnished  her  materials  wherewith 
to  exercise  her  ingenuity.* 

The  needlework  of  the  present  day  is  indebted  for  its  attraction 
more  to  the  skill  and  talent  displayed  by  the  artist , than  to  any 
false  beauty  it  may  borrow  from  the  materials  employed  ; and, 
however  much  we  may  admire  the  adaptation  of  outre  and 
bizarre  objects  in  some  of  its  branches,  yet  let  us  remember 
that  the  true  intention  of  the  art  is  to  copy  nature,  not  to 
distort  her  : — and  that  needlework  executed  with  the  rudest 
and  most  simple  materials,  may  surpass  that  with  the  most 
costly.  The  materials  used  by  a Linwood  are  within  the  reach 
of  every  one,  but  the  skill  shown  in  the  employment  of  them 
is  that  of  the  artist  alone. 

Since  the  time  when  Miss  Linwood  executed  her  “ 'paintings ,” 
greater  facilities  have  been  given  for  the  pursuit  of  needlework 
than  she  could  possibly  have  possessed.  The  variety  of  colours, 
their  beauty  and  brilliancy,  both  in  silks  and  wools,  owing  to 
our  improved  knowledge  of  dyeing,  the  introduction  of  coloured- 
paper  patterns,  all  contribute  towards  the  perfection  of  an  art, 
above  every  other,  consecrated  to  female  talent.  Our  object 
in  the  present  treatise,  however,  is  not  to  enter  into  a description 
of  the  different  articles  which  have  been  used  at  various  times 
for  the  purposes  of  needlework,  nor  the  method  of  employing  them ; 
— those  of  the  most  appropriate  kind  will  suffice  for  our  purpose, 
— and  ample  details  of  these,  their  qualities  and  uses,  and  the 
occasions  on  which  they  may  be  most  advantageously  rendered 


* Three  German  ladies,  in  Hanover,  named  Wylich,  in  1782,  invented  a 
mode  of  embroidering  with  human  hair. 


TAPESTRY. 


29 


subservient,  will  be  found  in  the  following  chapters,  under  their 
respective  heads. 

In  describing  the  principal  materials  employed  in  needlework  at 
the  present  day,  we  must  not  overlook  the  equally  essential 
requisites, — the  instruments  wherewith  we  are  to  use  them : — an 
account  of  which  will  be  found  under  the  general  head  of  “ imple- 
ments" where,  we  have  endeavoured, — as  far  as  lay  in  our  power, 
— to  guide  the  inexperienced,  in  selecting  with  judgment  those 
best  adapted  for  facilitating  their  labours. 

With  the  exception  of  canvas,  it  will  not  be  necessary  for  us 
to  describe  the  materials  upon  which  the  different  works  are  to  be 
executed.  The  mere  mention  of  these  in  their  respective  places 
will  be  sufficient, — whether  cloth,  silk,  or 

" satin  smooth, 

Or  velvet  soft,  or  plush  with  shaggy  pile.” 


CHAPTER  IV. 


toooi. 


“ Still  shall  o’er  all  prevail  the  shepherd’s  stores 
For  numerous  uses  known;  none  yield  such  warmth, 

Such  beauteous  hues  receive,  so  long  endure ; 

So  pliant  to  the  loom,  so  various,  none.” 

Dyer. 

“ In  the  same  fleece  diversity  of  wool 
Grows  intermingled,  and  excites  the  care 
Of  curious  skill  tg  sort  the  sev’ral  kinds.” 

Ibid. 

OOL,  from  the  frequency  of  its  employment 
in  needlework,  becomes  the  most  important  of 
those  materials  whereupon  we  have  to  treat. 
The  readiness  with  which  it  takes  and  perma- 
nently retains  the  most  splendid  colours  that  the 
art  of  the  dyer  is  capable  of  imparting,  renders 
it  superior  to  every  other : it  is  essential,  therefore,  that  we  enter 
fully  into  a description  of  its  various  qualities  and  uses. 

Wool  is  the  soft  filamentous  substance  which  covers  the  skins 
of  some  animals,  more  particularly  those  of  the  sheep:  the  term 
— which  is  not  very  well  defined,  and  is  rather  arbitrary  than 
natural — has  been  applied  alike  to  the  soft  hair  of  the  beaver, 


WOOL. 


31 


the  goats  of  Thibet  and  of  Cachemir,  and  to  that  of  the  llama 
and  ostrich,  and  even  to  fine  vegetable  fibres,  such  as  cotton  : 

“ The  trees  of  Ethiopia,  white  with  soft  wool.”* 

Sheep’s  wool  appears  to  be  the  product  of  cultivation:  on  the 
wild  mouflon  ( ovis  aries ) — to  which  genus  all  the  varieties  of 
the  domestic  sheep  have  been  traced,  and  which  is  still  found  in 
a wild  state  upon  the  mountains  of  Sardinia,  Corsica,  Barbary, 
Greece,  and  Asia  Minor, — the  wool  is  a coarse  hairy  substance, 
mixed  with  soft  down  close  to  the  skin.  When  the  animal  is 
placed  in  a temperate  climate,  under  the  fostering  care  of  man, 
and  protected  from  the  inclemencies  of  the  weather,  the  coarse 
fibres  gradually  disappear,  while  the  soft  wool  round  their  roots 
becomes  singularly  developed.  The  domestic  culture  of  the  sheep, 
for  the  sake  of  its  wool,  has  long  occupied  the  attention  of  civil- 
ized nations,  and  has  produced  the  highly-valued  merinof  species, 
from  which  our  best  wool  is  now  procured. 

Sheep’s  wool  of  good  quality  is  never  found  except  in  those 
countries  that  have  been  the  seats  of  the  arts,  and  where  a consider- 
able degree  of  luxury  and  refinement  exist,  or  have  once  prevailed. 
The  history  of  its  cultivation  and  preparation,  like  most  of  the 
useful  arts  of  ancient  date,  is  involved  in  uncertainty.  The 
Greeks  attribute  the  invention  of  spinning  and  weaving  wool  to 
Minerva : it  is,  however,  supposed  to  be  of  Asiatic  origin,  and  is 

* Virgil,  Georg,  ii.  1.  120.  Herodotus  uses  the  term  “ tree  wool  ” to  denote 
cotton,  1.  iii.  c.  47.  Julius  Pollux,  also,  in  his  Onomasticon , 1.  vii.  c.  17  so 
denominates  it. 

t The  term  merino , in  the  Spanish  language,  is  derived  from  the  corrupt 
Latin  merimis  or  majorinus.  At  the  period  when  the  transhumantes,  or  travel- 
ling flocks  in  Spain,  were  established,  they  became  the  object  of  police,  and 
were  placed  under  the  exclusive  jurisdiction  of  mayors,  with  public  walks  and 
large  districts  allotted  for  their  sustenance,  and  were  termed  mennos  ovejast 
or  the  sheep  under  the  care  of  the  merino  or  mayor. 


32 


WOOL 


referred  to  by  Moses,*  which  proves  it  to  have  existed  at  least 
fifteen  hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era.  The  discovery 
of  the  wheel  and  spindle  is  also  veiled  in  obscurity,  but  they  were 
obviously  used  in  the  most  remote  ages.  In  the  infancy  of  the 
art  of  weaving,  and  for  many  centuries  after,  the  working  of 
cloth  was  merely  a domestic  occupation,  principally  of  women : 
the  fleece  was  gathered  from  the  sheep,  washed,  opened,  spun,  and 
wove  under  the  same  roof  which  witnessed  the  preparation  and 
grinding  of  corn.f 

In  proportion  as  society  advanced,  and  a division  of  labour 
became  convenient,  an  improved  knowledge  was  acquired,  not 
only  of  spinning  and  weaving,  but  in  that  of  breeding  and  select- 
ing those  animals,  whether  sheep  or  goats,  which  gave  the  finest 


* Exodus,  xxxv.  25,  26.  The  Egyptians,  from  a most  remote  era,  were 
celebrated  for  their  manufactures  of  linen  and  other  cloths ; and  the  produce  of 
their  looms  was  exported  to,  and  eagerly  purchased  by,  foreign  nations.  The  fine 
linen,  and  embroidered  work,  the  yarn  and  icoollen  stuffs  of  the  upper  and 
lower  country,  are  frequently  mentioned,  and  were  highly  esteemed.  Solomon 
purchased  many  of  these  commodities,  as  well  as  chariots  and  horses,  from 
Egypt : and  Chemmis,  the  city  of  Pan,  according  to  Strabo  (lib.  xvii.)  retained 
the  credit  it  had  acquired  in  making  woollen  stuffs,  nearly  till  the  period  of 
the  Roman  conquest.  In  Egypt,  woollen  garments  were  chiefly  used  by  the 
lower  orders ; sometimes  also  by  the  rich,  and  even  by  the  priests,  who  were 
permitted  to  wear  an  upper  robe  in  the  form  of  a cloak  of  this  material, 
but  under-garments  of  wool  were  strictly  forbidden  them,  upon  a principle  of 
cleanliness ; and  as  they  took  so  much  pains  to  cleanse  and  shave  the  body,  they 
considered  it  inconsistent  to  adopt  clothes  made  of  the  hair  of  animals.  Hero- 
dotus (1.  ii.  c.  81)  says,  that  no  one  was  allowed  to  be  buried  in  a woollen 
garment;  nor  could  any  priest  enter  a temple  without  previously  taking  off 
this  part  of  his  dress.  Yide  Wilkinson’s  Ancient  Egyptians. 

+ In  the  primitive  ages,  the  duties  of  women  were  very  different  from  those 
of  a later  and  more  civilized  period.  Among  pastoral  tribes,  they  drew  water, 
kept  the  sheep,  and  superintended  the  herds  as  well  as  flocks.  As  with  the  Arabs 
of  the  present  day,  they  prepared  both  the  furniture  and  the  woollen  stuffs,  of 
which  the  tents  themselves  were  made ; and,  like  the  Greek  women,  they  were 
generally  employed  in  weaving,  spinning,  and  other  sedentary  occupations. 


WOOL. 


33 


fleeces.  The  produce  of  white  wool  from  sheep  is  said  to  be 
entirely  the  result  of  cultivation,  and  is  unknown  in  those 
countries  where  it  is  not  employed  as  an  object  of  manufacture  or 
commerce.  We  may  imagine  that  in  the  earliest  state  of  the 
woollen  manufacture,  when  cloth  was  merely  a substitute  for  the 
skins  of  beasts  as  an  article  of  clothing,  little  attention  was  paid 
to  the  colour  or  fineness  of  the  wool ; but  as  luxuries  were  intro- 
duced, coloured  garments  were  required,  and  the  wool  could  no 
longer  be  indifferently  taken  from  sheep  of  every  kind,  whether 
white,  brown,  or  black.  The  grower,  therefore,  began  to  pay 
more  particular  attention  to  the  whiteness  of  his  fleece,  which 
was  essential  to  render  the  cloth  susceptible  of  the  brilliant  dyes, 
which,  even  in  a very  remote  period,  were  certainly  given  to  it 

“ In  oldest  times,  when  kings  and  hardy  chiefs 
In  bleating  sheepfolds  met,  for  purest  wool 
Phoenicia’s  hilly  tracts  were  most  renown’d, 

And  fertile  Syria’s  and  Judaea’s  land, 

Hermon,  and  Seir,  and  Hebron’s  brooky  sides, 

Twice  with  the  murex,  crimson  hue,  they  ting’d 
The  shining  fleeces — hence  their  gorgeous  wealth ; 

And  hence  arose  the  walls  of  ancient  Tyre.” 

German  wool,  unquestionably  the  finest  description  of  sheep’s 
wool  which  we  possess,  is  the  produce  of  the  fleece  of  the  merino 
breed  in  their  highest  state  of  cultivation,  from  the  flocks  of 
Saxony  and  the  neighbouring  German  states.  As  prepared  for 
needle  work  it  is  manufactured  at  Gotha,*  from  whence  it  is  for- 
warded to  Berlin  and  other  parts  of  Germany  to  be  dyed. 


* Gotha,  the  capital  of  the  duchy  of  Saxe-Gotha,  and  alternately  with 
Coburg  the  residence  of  the  duke  of  Saxe-Coburg,  father  of  Prince  Albert. 
The  duke  has  a fine  palace  here  called  Friedenstine,  containing  a picture  gal- 
lery, library,  and  a Chinese  and  Japanese  museum,  besides  one  of  the  finest 
collections  of  coins  and  medals  in  Europe.  The  Almanack  de  Gotha , is 
printed  here. 


34 


WOOL. 


To  the  late  king  of  Saxony,  when  elector,  is  due  the  merit  of 
having  first  introduced  the  Spanish  breed  of  merino  sheep  into 
Germany  and  the  valuable  trade  in  fine  wool  has  since  been 
transferred  almost  wholly  from  the  Spanish  to  the  German  soil. 
The  flocks  were  brought  into  his  dominions  in  the  year  1765,  and 
again  in  1778,  and  were  chosen  for  the  elector  from  the  finest  of 
those  in  Spain;  they  were  placed  under  the  care  of  a Spanish 
“ majorinus or  mayor,  at  Stolpen,  seven  leagues  from  Dresden, 
on  the  frontiers  of  Bohemia.  From  this  period  until  1814  these 
flocks  were  gradually  spreading  themselves  throughout  the  king- 
dom of  Saxony,  and  when  the  continental  trade  was  entirely 
thrown  open  by  the  events  of  1815,  the  Saxon  wool  dealers 
began  to  embark  in  a regular  trade  with  England  in  their  fleeces, 
and  they  soon  discovered  the  real  value  of  this  new  branch  of 
German  commerce.* 

The  improvement  both  in  fineness  and  softness  in  the  quality 
of  wool,  from  the  German  flocks,  over  those  of  Spain,  is  consider- 
able. The  harshness  of  the  wool  does  not  depend  solely  upon  the 
breed  of  the  animal,  or  the  climate,  but  is  owing  to  certain  pecu- 
liarities in  the  pasture.  It  is  known,  that  in  sheep  fed  upon 
chalky  districts,  wool  is  apt  to  get  coarse ; but  in  those  fed  upon 
a richer  soil  it  becomes  soft  and  silky.  The  scorching  sun  of 
Spain  renders  the  fleece  of  the  merino  breed  harsher  than  it  is  in 
the  milder  climate  of  Saxony.  The  great  quantity  of  grease,  or 
yolk  (as  it  is  technically  termed),  which  is  much  more  abundant 


* For  an  interesting  account  of  the  finer  description  of  sheep  and  wool, 
vide  “ Mittheilungen  des  interessantesten  und  neuesten  aus  dem  Gebiet  der 
hohern  Schaff  und  Woolkunde,”  Von  Bernhard  Petri,  Wien,  1829; — also,  “His- 
toire  de  1’ Introduction  des  Moutons  a laine  fine  d’Espagne  dans  les  divers 
etats  de  l’Europe,”  par  M.  C.  P Lasteyrie,  Paris,  1802. 


WOOL. 


35 


in  tire  wool  of  the  merino  breed  of  sheep,  is  also,  doubtless,  one 
of  the  great  causes  of  its  superiority.* 

There  are  four  distinct  qualities  of  wool  >in  the  fleece  of  the 
same  animal ; the  finest  growing  along  the  spine  from  the  neck, 
to  within  six  inches  of  the  tail ; including  one  third  of  the 

breadth  of  the  back : the  second  covers  the  flanks  and  the  shoulders ; 
and  the  third,  the  neck  and  hinder  parts ; and  the  coarsest 

the  breast  to  the  feet.  These  it  is  the  office  of  the  wool 

sorter  to  separate,  which  he  generally  does  immediately  after 

shearing.  The  best  wool  is  that  shorn  from  the  sheep  at  the 
proper  seasons ; that  which  is  taken  from  the  skin  after  death 
is  inferior.  Wools  again  differ  from  each  other  not  only  accord* 
ing  to  their  coarseness  and  fineness,  but  also  in  the  length  of  their 
filaments.  Long,  or  combing  wool,  varies  in  length  from  three  to 
eight  inches ; it  is  treated  on  a comb  with  long  steel  teeth,  which 
opens  the  fibres,  and  arranges  them  horizontally  like  locks  of 
flax ; such  wool  when  woven  is  unfit  for  felting.  Short,  or  cloth- 
ing wool,  varies  in  the  length  of  its  staple  from  three  to  four 
inches ; if  longer,  as  is  the  case  with  the  best  Saxon  wool,  it  is 
broken  down  by  carding,  to  adapt  it  to  the  subsequent  operation 
of  felting,  where  the  fibres  are  convoluted  or  matted  together. 

It  is  only  within  the  last  few  years  (in  fact  since  the  introduc- 
tion of  coloured  paper  patterns)  that  German  wool  has  been  used 
for  the  purposes  of  needlework:  previously  to  that  time  our  only 
resources,  with  the  exception  of  silk,  were  English  lambswools, 
worsteds,  and  crewels.  The  beauty  of  German  wools  and  the 


* The  merino  breed  of  sheep  has  been  carried  to  New  South  Wales  and 
Van  Dieman’s  Land,  from  whence,  of  late  years,  great  quantities  of  wool  have 
been  exported.  Australia  promises,  at  no  distant  period,  to  be  one  of  the 
principal  wool  growing  countries  in  the  world,  and  to  outrival  Saxony  in  the 
fineness  and  superiority  of  its  fleeces. 


36 


WOOL. 


perfection  to  which  the  “ science”  of  dyeing  them  has  been 
brought,  is  an  era  in  the  annals  of  our  art;  and  has,  together 
with  the  invention  of  Berlin  patterns,  contributed  in  rendering  it 
a more  enticing  and  facile  amusement  than  when  Helen 

“ Guided  by  love, 

O’er  the  stretch’d  sampler’s  canvas  plain, 

In  broidery’s  various  colours  strove 
To  raise  his  form  to  life  again.” 

All  kinds  of  wool  are  more  or  less  characterised  by  a degree 
of  harshness  when  compared  to  the  “ Zejphyr  Merino”  the  fine- 
ness, softness,  and  flexibility  of  the  fibre  of  which  renders  it 
decidedly  superior  for  all  kinds  of  tapestry  work  with  the 
needle,  and  embroidery  in  wool,  especially  where  great  numbers 
of  colours  are  required.  We  shall  now  proceed  more  particularly 
to  notice — 


GERMAN  WOOL. 

German  wool,  or,  as  it  is  termed  by  the  wool  staplers  of 
Germany,  Zephyr  merino , is  prepared  of  various  sizes.  That 
commonly  known  as  “ Berlin  ” or  “ German  wool,”  is  adapted  for 
working  all  kinds  of  Berlin  patterns;  and  from  the  manner  in 
which  it  is  skeined,  or  notted,  in  small  quantities,  it  is  rendered 
the  most  convenient,  and,  comparatively  speaking  the  least  expen- 
sive description  of  wool  for  this  purpose ; — recommendations 
sufficient,  were  they  not  more  fully  enhanced  by  the  unequalled 
brilliancy  and  variety  of  shades  in  which  it  is  dyed,  and  its 
above-mentioned  superior  qualities.  This  wool  may  be  split  and 
worked  on  the  finest  canvas,  and  also  doubled  and  trebled  on 
the  coarsest:  its  beauty,  however,  can  be  best  appreciated  when 
worked  in  a single  thread  on  a canvas  suited  to  its  size,  where 


WOOL. 


37 


it  should  form  an  even  and  uniform  surface  of  pearly  stitches, 
thoroughly  covering  the  threads  of  the  canvas,  yet  not 
so  tightly  ranked  as  to  be  deprived  of  its  beautiful  elastic 
appearance. 

Like  every  other  material,  German  wool  requires  to  be  well 
understood  as  to  its  qualities  and  capabilities,  in  order  to  pro- 
duce that  degree  of  excellence  which  it  is  the  wish  of  the 
needlewoman  to  accomplish.  When  worked  on  cloth,  either 
with  a canvas  over  the  cloth,  or  an  embroidery,  it  should  be 
used  with  a needle  sufficiently  large  to  form  a passage  through 
which  the  wool  may  pass  without  “ dragging.”  It  is  applicable 
for  working  flowers,  figures,  and  every  description  of  work  in 
imitation  of  paintings  ; also,  for  fine  crochet,  knitting,  and 
netting.  When  of  the  best  quality,  German  wool  should 

retain  but  little  of  the  smell  of  the  dye  ; it  should  be  soft 
and  curly  in  its  texture,  and  round  in  its  make,  and  free 
from  all  particles  of  vegetable  or  mineral  substances  which 
may  have  been  used  in  its  dyeing.  This  wool  should  not  be 
wound,  as,  by  being  compressed,  it  may  be  partially  deprived 
of  its  elasticity. 

A quantity  of  German  wool  is  brought  into  Great  Britain 
in  a raw  state,  where  it  is  combed,  spun,  and  dyed  ; the  greater 
part  undergoes  these  processes  in  Scotland.  Some  of  this 
wool  is  equal  to  that  imported  in  a manufactured  state,  for 
the  purposes  of  needlework,  from  Germany  ; but  the  dye  is 
generally  very  imperfect  and  perishable,  except  the  blacks,  which 
are  certainly  much  cleaner — an  important  desideratum  in  needle- 
work. The  best  German  wools,  and  those  which  command  the 
highest  prices,  are  dyed  in  Germany,  and  imported  into 
England  ready  skeined  for  use.  Great  quantities,  however,  of 
German  wool,  manufactured  in  this  country,  and  also  of  very 


38 


WOOL. 


inferior  wool  imported  from  Germany,  are  daily  sold  ; and  it 
requires  the  eye  of  an  experienced  person  to  detect  them.* 

Much  more  might  be  said  as  to  the  qualities  and  dyeing  of 
these  wools  ; but  it  remains  with  the  “ sorter ,”  or  selector  of 
colours  for  working,  to  give  them  their  final  lustre,  by  the 
knowledge  and  care  bestowed  upon  their  choice,  and  the  proper 
appropriation  of  them,  each  to  their  several  purposes  : and,  like 
the  colours  on  the  painter’s  palette,  in  mixing  the  various  shades 
so  delicately,  that  they  shall  seem  but  as  one  ; carefully  avoiding 
all  harshness,  yet,  by  contrast,  giving  a proper  spirit  to  the  whole ; 
and,  above  all,  avoiding  that  gaudiness  of  colouring,  and  glaring 
want  of  taste,  so  generally  exhibited  in  the  coloured-paper  patterns 
of  Berlin,  and  which  are  but  too  frequently  complained  of  in  the 
productions  of  the  needle,  f 

ENGLISH  WOOL. 

" If  any  wool  peculiar  to  our  isle 
Is  giv’n  by  nature,  ’tis  the  comber’s  lock, 

The  soft,  snow-white,  and  the  long  grown  flake.” 

Dyer. 


* The  importations  of  German  wool*  into  this  country  were  quite  trifling 
during  the  war,  amounting  in  1812,  to  only  twenty-eight  pounds  ; but  since  the 
peace,  they  have  increased  beyond  all  precedent.  In  18 14,  they  amounted  to 
nearly  three  and  a half  millions  of  pounds  ; in  1820,  they  were  above  five 
millions  of  pounds  ; and,  in  1825,  they  reached  the  enormous  amount  of  nearly 
twenty-nine  millions  of  pounds  ; this,  however,  was  a year  of  overtrading,  and 
they  declined,  in  1826,  to  about  ten  and  a half  millions  of  pounds.  They  have 
since,  however,  recovered  from  this  depression ; and,  in  1833,  the  imports 
amounted  to  nearly  twenty-five  and  a half  millions  of  pounds.  These  important 
statistical  facts,  although  they  have  no  reference  to  the  subject  of  the  consump- 
tion of  wool  for  the  purpose  of  needlework,  nevertheless  show  the  high  estimation 
in  which  the  German  wool  is  held  by  our  manufacturers. 

t German  wool  is  prohibited  in  France : it  is  not  long  since,  that  the  police, 
at  Paris,  made  seizures  of  considerable  quantities  in  several  of  the  warehouses. 


WOOL. 


39 


English  lambswool,  or  embroidery  wool,  though  much  harsher 
than  the  preceding,  yet  retains  its  superior  qualifications.  The 
dye  of  scarlet  lambswool  is  quite  equal  to  that  of  the  German, 
as  are  also  several  of  the  shades  of  blue,  green,  and  gold  colours 
browns,  clarets,  and  some  neutral  tints.  On  coarse  canvas,  either 
for  tent,  or  cross  stitch,  it  is  decidedly  preferable,  both  in  working, 
and  in  appearance  when  finished.  It  may  be  sometimes  used  in 
the  same  piece  of  work  with  German  wool  ; such  as,  for  instance, 
in  needlework  for  carpets,  large  chairs,  sofas,  ottomans,  &c.  the 
gold  colours,  scarlets,  olives,  and  some  of  the  blues,  as  also  the 
grounding,  may  be  superiorly  worked  in  English  wool,  whilst  the 
whites,  greys,  pinks,  lilacs,  &c.  may  be  introduced  in  German 
wool. 

For  grounding , English  wool  is  generally  preferable  to  the 
German,  as  being  more  durable,  and  less  apt  to  soil ; nor  is  it 
impoverished  by  brushing  like  the  latter.  If  good,  English  wool 
is  cleaner  in  the  dye  of  the  darker  colours  ; and  has,  also, 
another  recommendation, — that  of  being  more  economical. 

WORSTED. 

<c  The  grain  of  brightest  tincture  none  so  well 
Imbibes  ; the  wealthy  Gobelins  must  to  this 
Bear  witness,  and  the  costliest  of  their  loom.” — Dyer. 

Worsted  is  a still  harsher  description  of  English  wool,  manu 
factured  from  the  coarser  parts  of  the  fleece,  but  it  is  capable  of 
taking  a very  fine  dye,  and  may  be  advantageously  used  for 
working  carpets  and  rugs.  If  it  be  good,  and  well  dyed,  it  has 
a more  glossy  appearance  than  the  other  descriptions  of  wool.  It 
is  much  cheaper  than  either  German  or  English  lambswool,  and 
is  the  best  and  only  proper  material  for  making  the  raised 


40 


WOOL. 


borders  of  urn-rugs,  and  the  various  kinds  of  patterns  and 
borders  in  moss  and  rouleau,  &c.  ; it  being,  from  the  length  of 
its  filaments,  greatly  improved  by  combing,  assuming  that  downy 
appearance  which  distinguishes  a well-finished  rug  border. 

Worsteds,*  though  so  little  used  in  needlework  at  the  present 
day,  were  formerly  the  principal  materials  employed  both  for 
tapestry  and  embroidery.  For  these  purposes,  they  were  much 
in  vogue  in  the  latter  part  of  the  last  century,  under  the  form 
of  crewels , a fine  description  of  worsted,  tightly  twisted  like 
netting  silks.  The  poet  Cowper  has  immortalized  their  use,  in 
“ The  Sofa,”  where  he  says  : 

“ here  and  there  a tuft  of  crimson  yarn, 

Or  scarlet  crewel .” 

The  whole  of  the  beautiful  works  executed  by  the  celebrated 
Miss  Linwood,  are  in  worsted,  the  dyeing  of  which  was  an  object 
of  her  especial  care.  Yarn  is  a still  coarser  description  of 
worsted.  It  is  used  for  making  nets  for  fruit  trees,  and  other 
similar  purposes.  It  may  be  prettily  applied,  when  cut  into 
short  lengths,  and  knit  with  coarse  cotton,  or  fine  twine,  for 
carriage-rugs,  mats,  &c. 


FLEECY. 

“ Leicestrian  fleeces,  what  the  sinewy  arm 
Combs  through  the  spiky  steel  in  lengthen’d  flakes.” 

Dyer. 


* Worsted,  in  Norfolk,  was  formerly  a place  of  much  celebrity,  and  of  con 
siderable  trade,  but  is  now  greatly  on  the  decline  ; it  is  chiefly  remarkable  for 
the  invention,  or  first  twisting,  of  that  sort  of  woollen  yarn  or  thread,  which 
hence  obtained  the  name  of  worsted.  This  manufacture  is  mentioned  in  the 
second  year  of  the  reign  of  Edward  III.,  when  the  weavers  and  workers  of 
worsted  stuffs  were  required  by  parliament  to  work  them  in  a better  manner 
than  they  had  formerly  done. 


WOOL. 


41 


Fleecy  is  another  description  of  wool,  principally  grown  and 
manufactured  in  Leicestershire,  for  which  this  county  has  long 
been  celebrated. 

“ Rich  Leicestria’s  marly  plains,  for  length 
Of  whitest  locks  and  magnitude  of  fleece 
Peculiar.” 

It  is  made  of  two  qualities,  superfine  and  common  ; they  both 
vary  in  size  from  an  eighth  to  a quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter 
according  to  the  number  of  threads  they  contain ; thus,  there 
are  two,  three,  four,  six,  up  to  twelve  threads,  fleecy.  Those  in 
common  use  are  from  three  to  six  threads.  They  are  all  equally 
good  and  useful  for  crochet,  knitting,  netting,  &e.  according  to  the 
purposes  for  which  the  work  is  designed. 

HAMBURGH  WOOL. 

Hamburgh  wool  so  called,  or  German  worsted,  is  a common  kind 
of  wool,  usually  containing  four  threads,  but  is  made  as  thick  as 
to  contain  twelve  threads  : it  is  very  brilliant  in  colour,  and 
glossy,  and  for  working  on  coarse  canvas  is  extremely  good.  It 
is,  however,  difficult  to  be  procured  in  all  shades  ; and,  hitherto, 
has  not  been  much  imported  into  this  country.  An  imitation  of 
this  wool  has  been  made,  and  much  sold  in  England,  under  the 
name  of  Hamburgh  worsted,  but  it  does  not  possess  any  of  the 
merits  of  the  real  Hamburgh  wool,  except  its  size. 

GERMAN  FLEECY. 

German,  or  merino  fleecy,  is  but  little  used  or  known  in  Eng- 
land. It  possesses  a decided  superiority  over  the  English,  both 
in  appearance,  and  pleasantness  for  use : the  colours  like  the 


42 


WOOL. 


German  wool,  are  exceedingly  brilliant.  It  is  usually  made  in 
sizes  of  eight  or  ten  threads  ; and,  for  the  purposes  of  crochet  or 
tricot,  cannot  be  surpassed.  It  must,  however,  be  borne  in 
mind,  that  it  is  a more  costly  material  than  the  English  fleecy.* 


* The  art  of  dyeing  was  practised  in  the  most  remote  ages.  Savage 
and  barbarous  tribes  even  possessed  colours  which  have  been  highly  es- 
teemed among  civilised  nations.  From  the  writings  of  Moses,  it  is  obvious 
that  it  had,  in  his  time,  made  great  progress.  He  mentions  (Exodus  xxv. 
4-5)  blue,  purple,  and  scarlet,  and  rams’  skins  dyed  red.  The  Egyptians, 
according  to  Pliny  (lib.  xxv.  c.  2,)  had  discovered  a mode  of  dyeing  some- 
what resembling  that  now  employed  for  tinting  printed  cottons — the  stuffs, 
after  having  been  impregnated  with  mordants,  were  immersed  in  vats,  where 
they  received  the  different  colours. 

At  a very  early  period,  the  art  of  dyeing  had  been  brought  to  a 
considerable  degree  of  perfection  in  Phoenicia.  The  method  of  dyeing  woollen 
cloths  purple  was  first  discovered  at  Tyre.  This  colour, — the  most  celebrated 
among  the  ancients, — appears  to  have  been  brought  to  a degree  of  excellence, 
of  which  we  can  form  but  a very  faint  idea.  It  is  related,  that  a shepherd’s 
dog,  instigated  by  hunger,  having  broken  a shell  on  the  sea  shore,  his 
mouth  became  stained  with  a colour,  which  excited  the  admiration  of  all 
who  saw  it,  and  that  the  same  colour  was  afterwards  applied  to  the  dyeing 
of  wool  with  great  success.  According  to  some  of  the  ancient  writers,  this 
discovery  is  placed  in  the  reign  of  Phoenix,  second  king  of  Tyre,  five 
hundred  years  before  Christ.  Others  fix  it  in  that  of  Minos,  who  reigned 
in  Crete  about  1439  years  before  the  Christian  era.  The  honour  of  the 
invention  of  dyeing  purple,  however,  is  generally  awarded  to  the  Tyrian 
Hercules,  who  presented  his  discovery  to  the  king  of  Phoenicia ; and  the 
latter  was  so  jealous  of  the  beauties  of  this  new  colour,  that  he  forbade 
the  use  of  it  to  all  his  subjects,  reserving  it  for  the  garments  of  royalty 
alone.  Some  authors  relate  the  story  differently : Hercules’  dog  having 
stained  his  mouth  with  a shell,  which  he  had  broken  on  the  sea  shore, 
Tysas,  a nymph  of  whom  Hercules  was  enamoured,  was  so  charmed  with 
the  beauty  of  the  colour,  that  she  declared  she  would  see  her  *over  no  more 
until  he  had  brought  her  garments  dyed  of  the  same.  Plercules,  in  order 
to  gratify  his  mistress,  collected  a great  number  of  the  shells,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  staining  a robe  of  the  colour  the  nymph  had  demanded. 

The  Tyrian  purple  was  communicated  by  means  of  several  species  of 
univalve  shell-fish.  Pliny  gives  us  an  account  (lib.  vi.  c.  36.)  of  two  kinds  of 
shell-fish  from  which  the  purple  was  obtained.  The  first  species  was  called 
buccinum , the  other  purpura.  A single  drop  of  the  liquid  dye  was  obtained 


WOOL, 


43 


from  each  fish,  by  opening  a vessel  situated  in  its  throat.  This  liquid,  when 
extracted,  was  mixed  with  a sufficient  quantity  of  salt  to  prevent  putrefaction. 
It  was  then  diluted  with  five  or  six  times  as  much  water,  and  kept  mode- 
rately hot  in  leaden  or  tin  vessels  for  the  space  of  ten  days,  during  which 
time  it  was  frequently  skimmed,  in  order  to  separate  all  impurities.  In 
dyeing,  the  wool  was  washed,  immersed  and  kept  in  the  liquid  for  five 
hours.  It  was  then  taken  out,  carded,  and  again  immersed  for  a sufficient 
length  of  time  for  all  the  colouring  matter  to  be  extracted  from  the  liquid. 
For  the  production  of  particular  shades  of  colour,  various  salts  were  added. 
The  colour  of  the  Tyrian  purple  itself  appears  to  have  been  similar  to  that 
of  blood.  This  author  also  says,  that  the  Tyrians  first  dyed  their  wool  in 
tke  liquor  of  the  purpura,  and  afterwards  in  that  of  the  buccinum.  We 
find  allusions  to  this  practice  in  several  passages  of  the  sacred  writings. 
Horace  also  says : 

“Muricibus  Tyriis  iteratae  vellera  lanoe.” 


And  again: 


“ Te  bis  Afro 

Murice  tinctae 
Vestiunt  Ians.’' 


The  purple  mentioned  in  Exodus  was  probably  that  dyed  by  the  Tyrians. 
Ezekiel,  in  his  prophecy  against  Tyre,  says : “ Fine  linen  with  broidered 
work  from  Egypt,  was  that  which  thou  spreadest  forth  to  be  thy  sail  ; blue 
and  purple  from  the  isles  of  Elishah  was  that  which  covered  thee.”  It  is 
generally  supposed,  that  by  Elishah,  Elis,  on  the  western  coast  of  the  Greek 
Peloponnesus,  was  referred  to  : hence  it  would  appear  that  the  Tyrians,  in 
the  time  of  Ezekiel,  obtained  their  supply  of  shell-fish  for  dyeing  purple 
from  the  coast  of  Greece.  This  celebrated  colour  was  restricted  by  the 
ancients  to  the  sacred  person  and  palace  of  the  emperor  ; and  the  penalties 
of  treason  were  denounced  against  the  ambitious  subject  who  dared  to  usurp 
the  prerogative  of  the  throne. 


CHAPTER  V 


0iik. 


“She  sets  to  work  millions  of  spinning  worms, 

That  in  their  green  shops  weave  the  smooth-haired  silk, 

To  deck  her  sons.” 

Milton. 

“Let  Asia’s  woods 
Untended,  yield  the  vegetable  fleece, 

And  let  the  little  insect-artist  form, 

On  higher  life  intent,  its  silken  tomb.” 

Thomson. 

ILK-WORMS, — the  most  precious  of  insects, - 
whose  produce  holds  so  important  a place  amongst 
the  luxuries  of  modern  life,  were  first  rendered 
serviceable  to  man  by  the  Chinese,  about  two 
thousand  seven  hundred  years  before  the  Chris- 
tian era.  Their  most  ancient  authorities  repre- 
sent the  Empresses  of  China,  as  surrounded  by  their  women, 
engaged  in  the  occupation  of  hatching  and  rearing  silk-worms, 
and  in  weaving  tissues  from  their  produce.  To  the  empress  See- 
ling-shee,  the  consort  of  Hoang-tee,  is  ascribed  the  honour  of 
having  first  observed  the  silk  produced  by  the  worms,  of  unravel- 


SILK 


45 


ling  their  cocoons,  and  working  the  fine  filament  into  a web  of 
cloth. # 

From  China,  the  art  of  rearing  silk-worms  passed  into  India 
and  Persia.  The  production  of  silk  was  unknown  in  Europe, 
however,  until  the  middle  of  the  sixth  century,  when  two  monks, 
who  had  long  resided  in  China,  succeeded  in  carrying  some  of 
the  eggs  of  the  insect,  concealed  in  a hollow  cane,  to  Constanti- 
nople ; where,  under  their  directions,  the  eggs  were  hatched  by 
artificial  heat:  the  worms  were  fed  by  leaves  of  the  mulberry 
tree ; they  lived  and  laboured,  and,  by  the  use  of  proper  means, 
the  race  was  propagated  and  multiplied.  This  knowledge,  under 
the  emperor  Justinian,  became  productive  of  a new  and  impor- 
tant branch  of  industry  to  the  European  nations.  Manufactories 
were  established  in  Athens,  Thebes,  and  Corinth,  but,  until  the 
twelfth  century,  Greece  appears  to  have  been  the  only  country  in 
Europe  in  which  the  art  was  practised.! 

About  1130,  Roger  II,  king  of  Sicily,  established  a silk  manu- 
factory at  Palermo,  and  another  in  Calabria,  managed  by  work- 
men taken  as  slaves  from  Athens  and  Corinth,  of  which  cities  he 
had  made  a conquest  in  his  expedition  to  the  Holy  Land.  By 
degrees  the  rest  of  Italy  and  Spain  learned  from  the  Sicilians  and 


* For  an  account  of  the  invention,  manufacture,  and  general  use  of  silk  in 
China,  vide  Du  Halde’s  Description  Geographique , Historique,  et  Physique  de 
VEmpier  de  la  Chine. 

+ A species  of  silk-worm,  common  in  the  forests  both  of  Asia  and  Europe, 
was  cultivated  in  the  little  island  of  Ceos,  near  the  coast  of  Attica.  A thin 
gauze  was  procured  from  their  webs ; and  this  Cean  manufacture,  the  invention 
of  a woman,  for  female  use,  was  long  admired  both  in  the  east  and  at  Rome. — 
Lie  silks,  which  had  been  closely  woven  in  China,  were  sometimes  unravelled 
rv  the  Phoenician  women,  and  the  precious  materials  were  multiplied  by  a looser 
texture,  and  tho  intermixture  of  linen  threads. — On  the  texture,  colours,  names, 
and  use  of  the  silk,  half  silk,  and  linen  garments  of  the  ancients,  see  the 
researches  of  the  learned  Salmasius. 

6 


46 


SILK. 


Calabrians  the  management  of  the  silk-worm,  and  the  working 
of  the  silk.  The  art  of  rearing  these  insects  did  not  reach 
France  until  after  the  reign  of  Charles  VIII,  when  the  white 
mulberry  tree,  and  a few  silk-worms,  were  introduced  into  Dau- 
phiny  by  some  noblemen,  on  their  return  from  the  conquest  of 
Naples.  It  was  not,  however,  until  1654,  that  they  began  suc- 
cessfully to  produce  the  silk  itself,  when  Traucat,  a common 
gardener  of  Nismes,  laid  the  foundation  of  a nursery  of  white 
mulberry  trees,  and  with  such  success  as  to  enable  them  to  be 
propagated  within  a few  years  over  all  the  southern  provinces 
of  France.* 

It  is  uncertain  at  what  period  the  use  of  silk  was  introduced 
among  the  Romans;  but  it  was  most  probably  in  the  time  of 
Pompey  and  Julius  Caesar.  So  great,  however,  was  its  rarity, 
that  it  was  sometimes  sold  for  its  equal  weight  in  gold;  and, 
even  in  the  time  of  Aurelian,  in  the  year  275,  it  was  so  expensive, 
that  he  is  said  to  have  refused  his  empress’s  particular  request 
for  a silken  robe,  on  account  of  the  price  being  so  great.  We 
are  informed  by  Tacitus,  that  a law  was  passed  in  the  beginning 
of  the  reign  of  Tiberius,  that  no  man  should  disgrace  himself  by 
wearing  a silken  garment.!  The  profligate  Heliogabalus,  however, 
set  aside  this  law,  and  was  the  first  of  the  Roman  emperors  who 
wore  a dress  ( holosericum ) composed  entirely  of  silk.  After  this, 


* “The  enormous  quantity  of  this  material  used  in  England  alone,  amount- 
ing in  each  year  to  more  than  four  millions  of  pounds’  weight.  Fourteen 
thousand  millions  of  animated  creatures  annually  live  and  die  to  supply  this 
little  corner  of  the  world  with  an  article  of  luxury.  If  astonishment  be  excited 
at  this  fact,  let  us  extend  our  view  into  China,  and  survey  the  dense  popula- 
tion of  its  widely  spread  region,  who,  from  the  emperor  on  his  throne  to  the 
peasant  in  the  lowly  hut,  are  indebted  for  their  clothing  to  the  labour  of  the 
silk- worm.” — Lar drier's  Cabinet  Cyclopaedia,. 
t “Ne  vestis  serica  viros  fcedaret.” — AnnaX . 1.  ii.  c.  33. 


SILK. 


47 


the  custom  of  wearing  silk  soon  became  general  among  the  wealthy 
citizens  of  Rome.  As  the  demand  for  silk  increased,  efforts  were 
made  to  import  larger  quantities,  and  the  price  of  it  gradually 
declined,  for  in  the  time  of  Ammianus  Marcellinus,  silk  appears 
to  have  been  worn  even  by  the  lowest  classes.* * * § 

The  art  of  spinning,  throwing,  and  weaving  silk,  was  introduced 
into  England  at  the  commencement  of  the  fifteenth  century ; but 
silk  appears  to  have  been  used  by  persons  of  distinction  two 
centuries  previously:  for  in  the  year  1251,  at  the  marriage  of 
Margaret,  daughter  of  Henry  III,  a thousand  English  knights 
appeared  in  cointises  of  silk.f  The  manufacture  of  silk  was  first 
practised  in  England  in  the  reign  of  Henry  IV,  by  a company 
in  London,  called  silk-women ; the  articles  produced  consisted  of 
laces,  ribbons,  and  similar,  narrow  fabrics,  and  these  in  no  great 
quantities ; but  about  the  year  1480,  men  began  to  engage  in 
the  manufacture.  Henry  VIII  wore  the  first  pair  of  silk  stockings 
in  England, J — these  were  knitted ; and  in  the  latter  years  of  the 
reign  of  Elizabeth,  silk  stockings  were  her  only  wear.§  About 

* Am.  Marcel,  lib.  xviii.  c.  6.  The  historian  Pausanias  was  the  first  who 
described  the  silk- worm.  Before  his  time,  the  ancients  imagined  that  silk  was 
the  produce  of  the  trees  of  the  Seres  or  Chinese.  For  an  interesting  account  of 
the  introduction  of  the  seric  insect  into  Europe,  the  reader  is  referred  to  Gib- 
bon’s Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire. 

+ Matthew  Paris. 

t By  statute  33  Henry  VIII,  a person  whose  wife  wore  a silk  gown  was 
bound  to  find  a charger  for  government. 

§ It  is  related  by  Howell,  in  his  History  of  the  World , (vol.  ii.  p.  222)  that 
queen  Elizabeth,  in  the  year  1561,  was  presented  with  a pair  of  black  knit  silk 
stockings,  by  Mistress  Montague,  her  silk-woman,  at  which  she  was  so 
much  delighted  that  she  thenceforth  never  condescended  to  wear  those  of  cloth. 
It  might  have  been  supposed  that  Elizabeth’s  inordinate  fondness  for  dress  would 
have  induced  her  to  give  every  encouragement  to  the  manufacture  of  so  elegant 
a fabric  as  silk:  it  does  not,  however,  appear  that  much  progress  was  made  in 
it  during  her  reign.  Content,  probably,  with  her  own  acquisition,  she  might 
be  desirous  that  the  more  becoming  silken  texture  should  remain  a regal  privi- 


48 


SILK. 


1620,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  reign  of  James  I,  the  broad  silk 
manufacture  was  introduced  into  this  country;  and  in  1629  it  had 
progressed  with  such  vigour  and  advantage,  that  the  silk  throw- 
sters of  the  city  and  parts  adjacent,  were  incorporated  into  a 
company:  which  company,  in  1661,  employed  above  forty  thou- 
sand persons.  In  1719,  a silk  throwing  mill  was  erected  at  Der- 
by; and,  from  that  period  to  the  beginning  of  the  present  century, 
various  improvements  were  introduced : but  those  made  since  that 
time,  or  during  perhaps  the  last  fifty  years,  have  been  consider- 
able ; and  the  silk  manufacturers  in  this  country  can  now  vie 
with  that  of  any  other. 

It  would  be  irrelevant  to  this  volume,  to  enter  more  fully  into 
the  history  of  silk,  or  of  the  little  worm  which  produces  it ; — a 
subject,  nevertheless,  replete  with  interest.  The  metamorphoses 
which  the  insect  undergoes,  — the  production  of  the  silk, — its 
mode  of  filature,  or  winding  from  the  cocoons, — and  the  subse- 
quent processes  of  converting  it  into  singles,  tram,  and  organzine, 
before  it  is  fit  for  the  various  purposes  of  the  arts,  will  be  found 
fully  described  in  all  works  on  silk  manufacture.  We  shall  there- 
fore proceed  to  mention  the  various  kinds  of  silk,  and  the  differ- 
ent purposes  for  which  they  are  used  as  articles  of  needlework ; 
but  previously  to  doing  so,  we  cannot  omit  quoting  the  following 
simple  lines  of  the  poet  Cowper,  on — 

THE  SILK-WORM. 

“The  beams  of  April,  ere  it  goes, 

A worm,  scarce  visible,  disclose; 


lege;  and  while  she  displayed  her  own  ancles  in  the  delicate  silken  lcnit,  was, 
perhaps,  well  pleased  that  her  maids  of  honour  should  conceal  theirs  under  the 
clumsy  and  inelegant  cloth  hose,  lest,  haply,  among  these,  some  might  have 
been  found  rather  more  beautifully  formed  than  her  own. 


SILK. 


49 


All  winter  long  content  to  dwell 
The  tenant  of  his  native  shell. 

The  same  prolific  season  gives 
The  sustenance  by  which  he  lives, 

The  mulberry  leaf,  a simple  store, 

That  serves  him — till  he  needs  no  more! 

For,  his  dimensions  once  complete, 

Thenceforth  none  ever  sees  him  eat; 

Though  till  his  growing  time  be  past 
Scarce  ever  is  he  seen  to  fast. 

That  hour  arrived,  his  work  begins. 

He  spins  and  weaves,  and  weaves  and  spins; 

Till  circle  upon  circle,  wound 
Careless  around  him  and  around, 

Conceals  him  with  a veil  though  slight, 

Impervious  to  the  keenest  sight. 

Thus  self-inclosed,  as  in  a cask, 

At  length  he  finishes  his  task: 

And,  though  a worm  when  he  was  lost, 

Or  caterpillar  at  the  most, 

When  next  we  see  him,  wings  he  wears, 

And  in  papilio  pomp  appears; 

Becomes  oviparous;  supplies 
With  future  worms  and  future  flies 
The  next  ensuing  year — and  dies! 

Well  were  it  for  the  world  if  all 
Who  creep  about  this  earthly  ball, 

Though  shorter-lived  than  most  he  be, 

Were  useful  in  their  kind  as  he.” 

All  silk  is  essentially  the  same,  although  there  is  a great 
difference  in  its  value  and  quality,  even  from  the  same  breed  of 
worms.  The  different  appearances  which  it  exhibits,  under  various 
forms,  are  owing  to  the  processes  which  it  undergoes  by  the  silk 
throwster,  to  adapt  it  to  the  purposes  of  the  arts.  As  used  for 
needlework,  it  is  to  be  met  with  under  the  following  heads : it 
may  also  be  found  prepared  for  the  manufacture  of  particular 
articles,  such  as  mittens,  stockings,  &c.  but  they  are  merely 
modifications  of  the  same,  either  by  being  finer  or  coarser,  or 

more  tightly  or  loosely  twisted.  By  the  terms  fine  and  coarse , 

6* 


50 


SILK. 


are  to  be  understood,  not  the  quality  of  the  material,  but  the 
size  of  its  thread,  as  it  may  be  composed  of  a greater  or  less 
number  of  the  filaments  spun  by  the  worm. 

MITORSE  SILK. 

Mitorse.  or  half-twisted  silk,  is  one  of  the  most  useful  kinds  for 
needlework,  and  is  similar  to  that  employed  by  the  Chinese  for 
their  double  embroidery.  Considerable  practice  and  care,  however, 
are  requisite  for  using  it  with  the  perfection  which  so  highly 
characterises  the  embroidery  done  with  this  description  of  material, 
by  the  F rench ; a species  of  work  in  which  they  excel  all 
other  nations.  From  the  peculiar  make  of  this  silk,  and  the 
impossibility  of  keeping  its  twist  always  of  one  size,  its  defects 
are  apt  to  become  visible  in  the  work ; but  if  this  be  executed 
with  skill,  the  effect  is  far  superior  to  that  of  any  of  the  floss 
silks,  nor  is  it  so  likely  to  become  “ fluffy  ” in  the  wear. 

Mitorse  silk  is  applicable  to  all  kinds  of  embroidery  intended  as 
articles  of  furniture,  or  the  nicknackeries , of  the  drawing  room. 
It  is  decidedly  the  best  and  only  kind  which  should  be  used,  where 
the  work  is  intended  to  be  edged  with  a gold  cord.  For  working 
waistcoats,  and  other  articles  of  dress,  it  will  be  found  to  be  supe- 
rior to  any  other.  For  embroidery  on  cloth,  it  surpasses  in  beauty 
every  other  description  of  material.  Mitorse  silk  has  lately  been 
introduced  with  good  effect  in  some  parts  of  wool  work,  on 
canvas,  for  slippers,  bags,  and  other  small  articles. 

NETTING  SILKS. 

Netting  silks,  or  Purse  twists,  are  too  well-known  to  need  any 
description:  they  are  made  of  various  sizes,  or,  as  they  are  termed, 
coarse  and  fine,  and  of  different  qualities.  They  are  to  be  pro- 


SILK. 


51 


cured  of  most  colours,  neatly  rolled  up  in  skeins.  The  French, 
perhaps,  excel  us  in  the  manufacture  of  their  cordonnets , which 
they  generally  wind  upon  reels  j their  chine  netting  silks  certainly 
surpass  anything  which  has,  as  yet,  been  produced  in  England, 
both  in  the  taste  displayed  in  the  intermixture  of  their  colours, 
and  in  the  brilliancy  of  their  dyes;  but  they  do  not  always  possess 
that  regularity,  either  in  size  or  quality  throughout  the  length  of 
the  reels,  as  the  English  skeins. 

Purse-twists  are  used  for  various  purposes  besides  those  of 
netting  and  knitting.  They  are  well  adapted  for  embroidery, 
particularly  where  mitorse  silks  would  be  found  too  thick ; and 
may  be  used  with  excellent  effect  upon  cloth  or  velvet,  to  produce 
the  appearance  of  gold.  The  silk  takes  the  tint  of  or  mat  so 
admirably,  that,  if  the  colour  be  good,  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
distinguish  it,  at  a little  distance,  from  gold : it  is  therefore  well 
suited  for  the  embroidering  of  altar  and  pulpit  cloths,  and  other 
purposes  where  gold  might  be  required,  as,  from  exposure  to  the 
atmosphere,  it  does  not  change  or  tarnish.  From  the  firmness  of 
its  twist  it  bears  a closer  resemblance  to  gold  cord,  or  bullion, 
than  any  other  description  of  silk.  For  tambour  work  or  chain 
stitch,  netting  silks  are  also  peculiarly  adapted. 

Sewing  silks  are  merely  a fine  description  of  netting  silk,  most 
commonly  made  of  the  inferior  and  less  valuable  portions  of  the 
same  material. 

CROCHET  SILK. 

Crochet  silk,  or  Soie  misserre — so  called  from  its  being  only 
half  tightened  in  the  twist — is  a coarse  description  of  cordonnetj 
differing  from  it  only  in  the  mode  of  twisting.  From  its  great 
flexibility  and  softness,  it  is  more  suitable  for  crochet  work  than 


52 


SILK. 


the  common  purse  or  netting  silk,  and  has  a more  brilliant  and 
glossy  appearance  than  these  usually  possess, — their  lustre  being 
deteriorated  by  the  closeness  with  which  their  fibres  are  twisted 
together. 


DACCA  SILK. 

Dacca  silk,  called  by  the  French  sole  ovale , is  denominated  fine 
or  coarse,  according  to  the  number  of  filaments  of  silk  of  which 
it  is  composed.  It  is  used  for  all  descriptions  of  flat  embroidery, 
and  also  for  some  kinds  of  raised  work,  such  as  the  small  raised 
roses.  It  was  formerly  much  more  in  demand  than  it  is  at  the 
present  day ; much  of  the  embroidery  for  which  it  was  then  used 
being  now  executed  in  mitorse  silk. 

For  copying  Berlin  patterns  in  silk,  or  working  on  fine  canvas, 
Dacca  silk  should  always  be  chosen : it  can  be  procured  in  a 
great  variety  of  colours  and  shades,  but  not  in  the  almost  unlim- 
ited number  of  tints  of  German  wools; — hence  difficulties  will 
sometimes  occur  in  selecting  these  silks  for  the  above  purposes. 
Dacca  silk  may  be  used  for  intermixing  with  wools  on  fine  canvas, 
where  floss  silk  would  be  found  too  thick ; and  when  required  very 
fine,  its  threads  may  be  divided. 

Dacca  silks  are  usually  done  up  in  knotted  skeins,  in  contra- 
distinction to  the  floss  silk,  which  is  twisted  into  hanks. # 


* Dacca  silk — frequently  but  improperly  termed  Decca,  or  even  Decker , — 
derives  its  name  from  Dacca,  a town  of  Hindoostan,  situated  in  the  eastern 
quarter  of  Bengal,  of  which  province  it  was,  within  the  last  century,  the 
capital.  This  town  is  very  favourably  stationed  for  an  inland  emporium  of 
trade,  as  the  Dacca  river  communicates  directly,  and  not  circuitously,  with 
all  the  other  inland  navigation.  Besides  silks,  it  has  a large  trade  in  muslins, 
which  are  among  the  most  delicate  that  are  sought  after  in  Europe.  It  must 


SILK. 


53 


FLOSS  SILK. 

Floss  silk,  or  soie  jplatte^  is  a thicker  description  of  silk,  and 
is  used  for  all  kinds  of  tapestry  work,  wherever  silk  is  required 
for  heightening  the  lights,  or  for  giving  a more  brilliant  effect  to 
gem  patterns,  and  in  other  parts  of  worsted-work  as  fancy  or 
taste  may  dictate.  It  is  also  much  used  for  embroidery  ; and 
may  be  employed  for  grounding  canvas  work,  with  a most  rich 
and  beautiful  effect.  It  is  manufactured  of  various  degrees  of 
fineness  and  coarseness,  so  that  it  may  be  adapted  to  the  size  of 
the  canvas  ; but  pieces  of  work  are  seldom  executed  entirely  in 
silk  on  coarse  canvas.  Floss  and  Dacca  silks  are  those  with 
which  the  common  embroideries  on  articles  of  dress  are  generally 
done,  the  greater  part  of  which  are  worked  in  Scotland.  Floss 
silk,  as  it  is  prepared  in  England,  is  preferable,  as  it  works 
smoother  than  the  French  ; a fact  which  the  French  themselves 
are  now  willing  to  admit. 

This  description  of  silk,  as  also  Dacca  silk,  must  be  manu- 
factured from  the  finest  part  of  the  product  of  the  silkworm,  as  it 
does  not  undergo  the  process  of  twisting  or  organzining,  which 
might  otherwise  hide  any  trivial  defect  in  its  quality.  It  is  of 
necessity,  therefore,  when  good,  comparatively  speaking  dearer 
than  some  of  the  twisted  silks. 

Floss  silk,  so  denominated,  for  the  purposes  of  needlework, 
must  not,  however,  be  mistaken  for  that  known  as  floss  by  the 
silk-throwsters.  The  latter  is  more  commonly  called  bourre  de 
soie , or  filoselle , and  is  that  portion  of  ravelled  silk  thrown  on 


not,  however,  be  supposed  that  Dacca  silk  is  imported  from  thence,  the  term 
only  being  applied  to  a particular  manufacture  of  this  material  as  first  prepared 
in  that  part  of  India. 


54 


SILK. 


one  side  in  the  filature  of  the  cocoons,  but  which  is  afterwards 
co.rded  and  spun  like  cotton  or  wool,  and  forms  the  spun  silk 
of  commerce.  This  article,  bonrre  de  soie , is  sometimes  used  by 
the  French  for  grounding  pieces  of  work  intended  as  articles  of 
furniture,  a purpose  for  which  it  appears  to  be  well  adapted, 
although  it  has  perhaps,  too  much  of  the  u cottony”  appearance 
which  distinguishes  spun  silk.* 


* The  female  peasants  of  Lombardy  generally  wear  clothes  of  home-spun 
floss  silk.  Of  late  years,  by  improved  processes,  fine  fabrics  of  this  material 
have  been  produced  both  in  England  and  France.  M.  Ajac,  of  Lyons, 
presented,  at  one  of  the  French  national  expositions  of  the  objects  of  in- 
dustry, a great  variety  of  scarfs  and  shawls,  manufactured  of  bourre  de  soie , 
closely  resembling  those  of  Cachemir. 

Beside  the  product  of  the  bo'mbyx , there  are  other  materials  closely  resembling 
silk  ; and  attempts  have,  at  various  times,  been  made  to  render  them  equally 
subservient  to  the  wants  of  man.  It  is  well  known  that  some  species  of 
spiders  possess  the  power  of  spinning  a bag  somewhat  similar  in  form  and 
substance  to  the  cocoon  of  the  silk-worm.  At  the  commencement  of  the 
last  century,  a quantity  of  these  bags  were  collected  by  M.  Bon,  from  which 
a kind  of  silk  was  manufactured,  said  to  be  in  no  way  inferior  to  that  of 
the  seric  insect.  It  was  susceptible  of  all  kinds  of  dyes,  and  might  have 
been  used  for  every  purpose  to  which  silk  was  applicable.  M.  Bon  had 
gloves  and  stockings  made  from  it ; in  fact,  the  only  obstacle  which  appeared 
to  prevent  the  establishment  of  any  considerable  manufacture  from  the  silk  of 
spiders,  was  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  it  in  sufficient  abundance.  Vide 
Ezamen  de  la  Soye  des  Araignees,  par  M.  de  Reaumur,  in  the  Mems.  Acad, 
des  Sciences,  1712. 

The  pinna , also,  a shell-fish  found  in  great  abundance  in  the  Mediterranean, 
has  been  called  the  silk-worm  of  the  sea.  It  belongs  to  the  order  of  the  vermes 
teslacea.  The  generic  character  is  : animal,  a limax  ; shell,  bivalve  ; fragile, 
upright,  gaping  at  one  end,  and  furnished  with  a byssus  or  beard  ; the  hinge 
is  without  teeth,  the  valves  are  united  in  one.  In  common  with  the  muscle 
the  pinna  has  the  power  of  spinning  a viscid  matter  from  its  body,  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  spider  and  caterpillar.  The  byssus,  which  it  thus  pro- 
duces, is  scarcely  inferior  in  fineness  and  beauty  to  a single  filament  of  the 
comparatively  minute  silk-worm.  The  ancients  appear  to  have  been  intimately 
acquainted  with  this  fish,  from  the  threads  of  which  they  wove  a kind  of 
silk  : a robe  of  this  singular  material  was,  according  to  Procopius  (lib.  iii.  c. 
1,)  the  gift  of  one  of  the  Roman  emperors  to  the  satraps  of  Armenia.  It  is 


SILK. 


55 


now  manufactured  by  the  Italians  for  its  curiosity.  A pair  of  gloves,  made 
from  the  byssus,  were  presented  to  Pope  Benedict  XIV.  In  Sicily,  the  pinna 
is  the  principal  object  of  the  fisheries,  and  several  beautiful  manufactures  are 
wrought  with  their  threads.  It  requires,  however,  the  produce  of  a con- 
siderable number  of  these  fish  to  make  even  one  pair  of  gloves  or  stockings  : 
a pair  of  the  latter,  although  possessing  great  warmth,  may,  from  their 
extreme  fineness  and  delicacy,  be  easily  contained  in  a snuff-box  of  ordinary 
size.  Aristotle  gave  the  name  byssus  to  the  silken  threads  of  the  pinna 
marina ; but  whether  it  was  on  account  of  its  resemblance  to  the  byssus  o 
which  some  of  the  ancient  garments  were  made,  or  whether  this  was  the  true 
byssus  itself,  is  uncertain,  as  the  term  appears  to  have  been  applied  indifferent- 
ly to  any  material  that  was  spun  and  woven  finer  than  wool.  The  description 
of  the  byssus  given  by  Julius  Pollux  (lib.  vii.  c.  27)  evidently  refers  to  cotton. 
Aristotle  also  relates  that  the  pinna  keeps  a guard  to  watch  for  her  ; this  he 
calls  pinnophylx , and  describes  as  a little  fish  with  claws  like  a crab.  To  this 
description  the  Greek  poet  Oppianus  was  indebted,  when  he  says  : 

“The  pinna  and  the  crab  together  dwell, 

For  mutual  succour,  in  one  common  shell ; 

They  both  to  gain  a livelihood  combine, 

That  takes  the  prey,  when  this  has  given  the  sign ; 

From  hence  this  crab,  above  his  fellows  famed, 

By  ancient  Greeks  was  Pinnotores  named.” 

There  is  still  another  material — a most  beautiful  production  of  art,  which 
claims  our  attention — glass.  This  has  been  spun  into  such  extremely  delicate 

threads,  that  it  is  woven  with  a warp  formed  of  silk  into  the  richest  brocades, 
equal  if  not  superior  to  those  of  gold  and  silver.  The  introduction  of  woven 
glass,  however,  does  not  appear  to  have  met  with  the  success  that  was  antici- 
pated, notwithstanding  its  brilliant  appearance.  It  is  objectionable  as  not 
possessing  the  same  degree  of  flexibility  as  silk,  or  it  might  otherwise  be  used 
as  a material  for  needlework  with  excellent  effect. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


(S>olir  anfo  Silu^r. 


“ Then  threads  of  gold  both  artfully  dispose, 

And,  as  each  part  in  just  proportion  rose, 

Some  antique  fable  in  their  work  disclose.” 

Ovid. 

MONG  the  various  materials  employed  in  nee- 
dlework, the  application  of  the  precious  metals  is 
extremely  curious.  Gold  and  silver  (more 
especially  the  former)  were  used  in  the  earliest 
ages  both  for  embroidery  and  weaving  ; but  we 
are  not  to  understand  from  this,  such  gold 
threads  as  those  now  in  use  ; for  the  embroideries  with  gold 
mentioned  by  the  ancient  historians,  were  in  fact  worked  with 
the  pure  metal,  which,  beaten  into  thin  plates  and  afterwards 
divided  into  small  slips,  were  rounded  by  a hammer,  and  then 
filed  so  as  to  form  threads  or  wire.*  The  invention  of  em- 


* The  method  of  using  gold  for  needlework  is  thus  mentioned  in  the  twenty- 
ninth  chapter  of  Exodus,  in  allusion  to  the  ephod  : “ And  they  did  beat  the 
gold  into  thin  plates,  and  cut  it  into  wires,  to  work  it  in  the  blue,  and  in  the 
purple,  and  in  the  scarlet,  and  in  the  fine  linen,  with  cunning  work.” 


GOLD  AND  SILVER. 


57 


broidery  with  gold,  has  been  ascribed  to  Attalus,  king  of 
Pergamus  ; but  the  art  had  evidently  been  practised  in  several 
of  the  preceding  centuries.  The  perfection  to  which  it  had  been 
brought  is  manifest,  when  we  are  told  that  Agrippina  wore  a 
robe  woven  entirely  of  gold  threads,* * * §  without  any  linen  or  woollen 
ground.  The  tunic  of  Heliogabalus,  as  described  by  Lampridius,t 
was  of  the  same  material,  as  also  that  of  Tarquinius  Priscus, 
mentioned  by  Yerrius.J  We  are  again  informed  of  a similar 
mantle  taken  from  the  statue  of  Jupiter,  by  the  tyrant  Dionysius ; 
besides  others,  not  to  mention  the  fabulous  net  of  the  poets,  in 
which  Vulcan  entrapped  Mars  and  Yenus,  and  of  which  it  is 
related,  that  it  was  so  extremely  fine  that  the  gods  themselves 
were  unable  to  perceive  it, — and  this,  we  are  told,  was  forged 
by  Yulcan  on  the  anvil. 

There  is  no  passage  in  any  ancient  author,  in  which  mention 
is  made  of  the  preparation  of  metal  similar  to  the  modern  method 
of  wire-drawing.  Very  few  remains  of  ancient  wire-work  have 
been  discovered.  In  the  museum  at  Portici,  is  a bronze  head, 
which  has  fifty  locks  of  wire  as  thick  as  a small  quill,  bent 
into  the  form  of  a curl  : and  a small  statue  of  Yenus  has  golden 
bracelets,  made  of  wire,  round  the  arms  and  legs.  From  the 
appearance  of  some  wire  found  at  Thebes,  however,  Mr.  Wilkinson 
is  of  opinion  that  we  are  almost  justified  in  the  conclusion,  that 
a mode  of  wire-drawing  was  known  to  the  Egyptians  and  the 


* “ Auro  textili  sine  alia  materiel  Plin.  lib.  xxxiii.  c.  19. 

t Vit.  Heliogab.  c.  23. 

t Plin.  lib.  xxxiii.  c.  19. 

§ That  the  Egyptians  had  arrived  at  great  perfection  in  the  art  of  making 
gold  thread  or  wire,  is  evident  from  its  being  sufficiently  fine  for  weaving  with 
linen,  cloth,  and  for  embroidery.  The  exceeding  delicacy  of  the  linen  corslet 
of  Amasis,  as  mentioned  by  Herodotus  * (lib.  iii.  c.  43,)  op  which  numerous 


58 


GOLD  AND  SILVER. 


omission  of  every  representation  of  the  process,  in  their  paintings 
cannot  be  adduced  as  an  argument  against  the  fact,  since  they 
have  also  failed  to  depict  the  casting  of  metals,  and  various 
other  arts  with  which  they  were  undoubtedly  acquainted.  Gold 
thread  appears  to  have  been  made  entirely  of  metal,  even  to  the 
time  of  the  last  Roman  emperors  ; nor  are  there  any  instances 
of  flattened  wire  covered  round  silk  or  thread,  or  of  silver  or 
other  wire  gilt,  in  the  ruins  either  of  Herculaneum  or  Pompeii. 

Gold  and  silver  threads,  as  used  at  the  present  day,  are  generally 
composed  of  a thread  of  silk,  round  which  an  extremely  thin  flat- 
tened wire  of  the  metal  is  spun.* *  Gold  itself  is  never  used  for  this 
purpose,  but  a silver  or  copper  wire  gilt,f — the  former  being  of 
course  the  best  and  most  expensive.  For  silver  thread,  either 
silver  itself,  or  copper  plated,  is  used  in  a similar  manner.  ’ With 
the  material  thus  prepared,  of  various  sizes,  the  different  articles 
we  meet  with  are  manufactured,  such  as  laces,  fringes,  tassels, 
cord,  &c. 

The  finer  kinds  of  work  in  gold  and  silver  were  for  a length 
of  time  best  executed  in  France  and  Italy.  It  is  said  that  the 
first  machine  for  wire-drawing  was  invented  by  Rudolph,  at 


figures  of  animals  were  wrought  in  gold,  must  have  required  a proportionate 
degree  of  fineness  in  the  gold  thread  used  for  that  purpose. 

* A silver  rod  is  encased  in  gold  leaf,  and  this  compound  cylinder  is  then 
drawn  into  round  wire  down  to  a certain  size,  which  is  afterwards  flatted  in  a 
rolling  mill.  This  flatted  wire  is  then  wrapped  or  laid  over  a thread  of  yel- 
low silk,  by  twisting  with  a wheel  and  iron  bobbins.  By  the  aid  of 
mechanism,  a number  of  threads  may  thus  be  twisted  at  once  by  one  moving 
power.  The  principal  nicety  consists  in  so  regulating  the  movements,  that 
the  successive  volutions  of  the  flatted  wire  on  each  thread  may  just  touch  one 
another,  and  form  a continuous  covering.  By  the  ordinances  of  France,  it 
was  formerly  required  to  be  spun  on  flaxen  or  hempen  threads. 

t The  inferior  manufactures  of  gold,  or  copper  gilt,  are  frequently  called 
Mosaic  gold. 


GOLD  AND  SILVER. 


59 


Nuremberg,  in  1360.*  Anthony  Fournier,  a Frenchman,  brought 
an  improved  art  of  drawing  fine  wire  to  Nuremberg!  in  1570, 
where,  a few  years  afterwards,  an  artist  of  the  name  of  Hagel- 
sheimer,  or  Held,  a citizen  of  the  same  town,  received  an 
exclusive  patent  for  its  manufacture  for  fifteen  years,  which  term 
was  afterwards  doubled.  His  patent  also,  by  a grant  from  the 
emperor  Rudolphus  II,  in  1608,  included  the  manufacture  of 
copper  wire,  gilt  or  plated  with  silver.  In  1602  this  patent  was 
renewed  for  fifteen  years  more  by  the  emperor  Matthias,  and  ten 
years  afterwards,  was  converted  into  a fief  to  the  heirs  male  of 
the  family  of  Held.  All  the  wire  made  in  England  was  manu- 
factured by  hand  until  the  year  1565,  when  the  art  of  drawing 
with  mills  was  introduced.  Jacob  Momma  and  Daniel  Demetrius 
first  established  a manufactory  for  wire  drawing  at  Esher  : and 
Anderson^  says,  that  the  first  flatting  mill  wras  erected  at  Sheen 
near  Richmond,  in  1663,  by  a Dutchman,  who  began  to  prepare 
fine  gold  and  silver,  such  as  could  be  used  for  spinning  round 


* In  the  fifteenth  century,  there  appear  to  have  been  flatting  mills  in 
several  other  places  besides  Nuremberg.  In  the  town-book  of  Augsburg, 
under  the  year  1451,  is  the  name  of  a person  called  Chunr.  Tratmuller  de 
Tratmul,  as  a wire  drawer.  Vide  Beckmann,  vol.  ii.  p.  241. 

t Nuremberg,  during  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries,  attained  the  height 
of  its  wealth  and  prosperity.  It  was  the  chief  mart  and  staple  place  for  the 
produce  of  Italy  and  the  Levant,  which  it  received  principally  from  Venice 
and  Genoa,  and  distributed  over  the  north  and  west  of  Europe.  But  commerce 
and  the  carrying  trade  of  Europe,  were  by  no  means  the  only  sources  of  its 
wealth  ; since,  in  the  extent  and  celebrity  of  its  manufactures,  it  deserves  to 
be  considered  as  the  Birmingham  of  the  period.  Its  artisans — many  of  whom 
may  more  properly  be  styled  artists,  especially  the  workers  of  metals,  smiths,  ar- 
mourers, cutlers,  casters  in  bronze,  and  goldsmiths— were  esteemed  the  most 
cunning  and  skilful  craftsmen  in  Europe,  and  their  productions  highly  prized  ; 
the  cloth  weavers  and  dyers  were  likewise  in  high  repute.  Vide  Murray’s 
Hand  book , Southern  Germany. 

X Geschichte  des  Handels , vol.  v.  p.  484. 


60 


GOLD  AND  SILVER. 


silk  for  weaving,  which,  before  that  period,  had  been  manufactured 
only  on  the  Continent. 

The  first  object  in  the  manufacture  of  gold  thread,  and  one 
of  the  greatest  consequence,  is  the  choice  of  the  purest  gold  ; 
for  on  this  depends  the  beauty  and  durability  of  the  colour 
of  the  articles  prepared  from  it.  With  regard  to  the  silver 
which  forms  the  body  of  the  wire,  it  is  said  to  be  greatly 
improved  by  being  alloyed  with  a small  quantity  of  copper. 
The  proportion  of  gold  to  be  used  in  the  gilding  was,  until 
of  late  years,  regulated  by  act  of  parliament.  It  is  amazing 

to  what  a degree  of  fineness  the  gold  is  drawn,  yet  it  still 
keeps  firmly  together  without  showing  the  least  appearance  of 
the  silver  beneath. 

The  various  names  under  which  the  manufactures  of  gold  and 
silver,  as  employed  for  needlework,*  will  be  found,  are, — passing, 
cord,  braid,  bullion,  (both  rough,  smooth,  and  checked),  spangles, 
paillons,  lames,  and  beads,  f 


PASSING. 

Passing — of  gold  or  silver — is  a smooth  thread,  of  an  uniform 
size,  closely  resembling  a thin  metallic  wire.  It  is  the  finest 

material  of  this  kind  manufactured,  and  peculiarly  exhibits  the 
perfection  to  which  the  art  of  making  gold  thread  has  been 
brought.  It  may  be  used  in  the  same  manner  as  silk  for  flat 
embroidery,  the  needle  being  threaded  with  gold  in  the  usual 
way.  Passing  may  also  be  employed  for  knitting,  netting,  and 

* The  Chinese,  instead  of  flatted  gilt  wire,  generally  employ  slips  of  gilt 
paper,  with  which  they  interweave  and  embroider  their  stuffs,  and  twist  upon 
silk  threads. 

t There  are  various  technical  terms  for  some  of  these,  with  which  it  is  un- 
necessary to  trouble  the  reader. 


GOLD  AND  SILVER. 


61 


crochet.  It  is  made  of  two  or  three  different  sizes ; and  is  dis- 
tinguished from  gold  cord  by  the  closeness  with  which  the  flat- 
tened wire  is  spirally  twisted  round  the  silk,  and  from  its  being 
formed  of  only  one  thread.  For  embroidery  with  passing,  the 
needle  should  be  round,  large  in  the  eye,  and  of  sufficient  size 
to  prevent  the  fraying  of  the  gold  as  it  is  passed  backwards 
and  forwards  through  the  work.  The  Turks  embroider  with 
passing  on  morocco  leather  in  the  most  beautiful  manner. 


GOLD  CORD. 

Gold  or  silver  cord  is  a twist  composed  of  two  or  any  other 
number  of  threads.  The  threads  are  formed  by  having  the  flattened 
wire  wound  round  them  in  a contrary  direction  to  that  of  passing, 
in  order  that  it  shall  not  ravel  by  the  second  process  of  twisting. 
For  the  purposes  of  needlework,  it  is  seldom  employed  of  a larger 
size  than  two,  three,  or  four  threads.  Gold  cord  may  be  used 
for  edging  braid  work  and  flat  embroidery ; it  may  also  be  em- 
ployed for  working  patterns  in  a similar  manner  with  braid.  It 
should  be  sewn  on  with  a fine  silk  o*f  the  same  colour,  taking 
care  that  the  point  of  the  needle  does  not  penetrate  the  metallic 
surface  so  as  to  chip  it,  and  betray  the  silk  beneath.  The  needle 
should  be  held  in  as  horizontal  a position  as  possible,  and  passed 
between  the  interstices  of  the  cord,  slightly  taking  up  a thread  or 
two  of  the  surface  it  is  intended  to  ornament. 

Gold  cord  is  much  introduced  with  wool  in  some  kinds  of 
canvas  work,  but  its  applicability  or  merit  must  be  determined 
by  the  approbation  of  those  who  use  it.  It  is,  however,  to  be 
admitted,  that  as  a ground , for  small  articles  of  extreme  luxury,  it 
may  be  employed  with  beautiful  effect;  and,  if  properly  managed, 
it  is  not  so  expensive  as  might  be  imagined. 


62 


GOLD  AND  SILVER. 


GOLD  BRAID. 

Braid  is  a kind  of  plaited  lace,  made  of  three  or  more  threads, 
the  application  of  which  is  too  well  known  to  need  comment.  The 
judgment  of  the  needlewoman  must  direct  her  in  the  selection  of 
the  quality  and  make,  as  best  suited  to  the  purposes  for  which  it 
is  intended.  If  to  work  on  velvet,  a round  full  close  make  is 
preferable.  It  is  made  of  various  widths  and  qualities ; mosaic, 
or  copper-gilt,  being  the  least  expensive,  but,  at  the  same  time, 
the  least  durable. 


BULLION. 

Bullion  is  manufactured  in  pieces  of  about  thirty-eight  inches 
in  length.  It  is  composed  of  a fine  wire  so  exquisitely  twisted, 
that  it  forms  a smooth,  round,  elastic  tube,  which  may  be  cut 
with  the  scissors  into  the  lengths  required.  There  are  three 
kinds — the  rough,  the  smooth,  and  the  checked — and  these  are 
frequently  used  together  in  the  same  piece  of  work;  for  instance, 
suppose  a large  letter  were  to  be  embroidered  in  bullion, — the 
drawing  is  made,  the  surface  raised  with  cotton,  and  'the  bullion 
cut  into  pieces  of  the  requisite  size ; three  stitches  might  be 
made  with  the  smooth,  two  with  the  rough,  two  with  the  checked, 
then  again  two  with  the  rough,  an^  three  with  the  smooth  ; 
this  would  form  a kind  of  pattern,  and  very  much  enrich  the 
appearance  of  the  letter. — In  some  descriptions  of  embroidery, 
the  stems  of  flowers  are  worked  with  gold  bullion:  but  the  exe- 
cution of  a correctly  twisted  stem  with  this  material  can  rarely 
be  accomplished  but  by  those  who  have  devoted  to  it  both  time 
and  attention. 


GOLD  AND  SILVER. 


63 


SPANGLES. 

Spangles,  or  paillettes,  are  small  pieces  of  silver  or  other  metal 
gilt  or  plated,  cut  into  various  forms,  more  generally  rounded, 
and  pierced  in  the  centre  with  a hole,  through  which  the  silk 
is  passed  which  attaches  them  to  the  work.  The  manufacture  of 
spangles  is  a curious  process ; they  were  formerly  in  great 
demand,  but  are  now  seldom  used  except  for  ornamenting  fringes 
and  tassels.  The  value  of  spangles  depends  on  their  brilliancy 
and  colour  and  the  quantity  of  gold  consumed  in  the  gilding  of 
them. 

LAMA  AND  PAILLON. 

Lama,  or  lame , is  a gilt  or  plated  sheet  of  extremely  thin 
metal,  which  may  be  cut  into  strips,  or  any  shape  desired,  either 
with  the  scissors  or  a punch.  It  is  employed  for  the  ornament- 
ing  of  ladies’  dresses,  and  for  various  embroideries  on  crepe  or 
net.  The  celebrated  Indian  muslins  from  Bengal  are  sometimes 
worked  with  it.  An  imitation  of  lama  is  well  known  under 
the  name  of  tinsel.  This  material  when  cut  into  very  small 
pieces  by  the  punch  is  termed  paillon , — the  general  form  in 
which  it  is  used  for  needlework.  It  is  also  manufactured  of 
various  colours. 


GOLD  BEADS. 

Gold  beads  are  either  cut  or  plain;  they  differ  very  materially 
both  in  quality  and  value,  according  to  the  quantity  of  gold  em- 
ployed in  their  manufacture.  They  are  very  pretty  auxiliaries 
in  all  kinds  of  gold  work,  and  when  gold  is  introduced  with 


64 


GOLD  AND  SILVER. 


wool  and  canvas,  are  the  best  and  most  suitable ; as  they  do 
not  readily  tarnish,  and,  if  securely  sewn  on  are  very  durable. 
Gold  beads  are  used  for  all  kinds  of  knitting,  netting,  and 
crochet  work  with  silk;  as  also  with  beautiful  effect  when  in- 
termixed with  coloured  beads,— a description  of  work  we  shall 
more  particularly  describe  in  a subsequent  chapter. 

GOLD  FRINGES. 

Gold  and  silver  fringes  are  made  of  all  widths  and  qualities; 
if  applied  with  taste,  they  certainly  form  one  of  the  most  elegant 
fescriptions  of  trimmings  for  ornamental  needlework.  Even  in 
this  climate  they  will  wear  for  a great  length  of  time ; and  they 
might  be  more  generally  applied,  as  on  the  Continent,  in  the 
houses  of  the  wealthy,  to  the  mounting  of  furniture,  such  as 
velvet  cushions,  and  other  articles  of  a decorative  character. 

The  above  are  the  different  materials  employed  for  working 
in  gold  and  silver  which  it  is  necessary  to  enumerate.  The 
various  kinds  of  laces  and  other  manufactures  employed  for  mili- 
tary purposes,  together  with  this  description  of  embroidery,  form 
a totally  different  branch  of  the  art,  which  does  not  come  within 
the  scooe  of  those  who  pursue  needlework  as  an  amusement. 


CHAPTER  VII 


Cljeniln,  Braiiis,  etc. 


— “ Here  they  may  make  choyce  of  which  is  which, 

And  skip  from  worke  to  worke  from  stitch  to  stitch.” 

John  Taylor. 

ESIDES  the  principal  materials, — wool,  silk, 
gold,  and  silver,  there  are  others  which,  although 
not  so  generally  employed,  must  not  be  passed 
over  in  silence.  We  shall  endeavour,  therefore,  ta 
give  a brief  notice  of  these,  commencing  with— 

CHENILLE. 

With  the  exception  of  the  precious  metals,  chenille  is  the  most 
costly  material  used  in  needlework.  It  derives  its  name  from  the 
close  resemblance  it  bears  to  some  species  of  caterpillars.*  The 
most  beautiful  application  of  chenille  is  in  embroidery  on  silk 

* Chenille:  “Un  tissu  dc  soie  veloutd.  qui  imite  la  chenille.”—  Did.  d& 
V Acad . Fran 


66 


CHENILLE,  BRAIDS,  ETC. 


canvas,  for  flowers  or  arabesques:  it  is  also  well  adapted  for  the 
representation  of  birds;  and,  if  any  extraneous  article  can  be 
admitted  with  silk  and  wool,  in  the  working  of  Berlin  patterns, 
this  appears  to  be  the  most  appropriate,  as  velvet  draperies  can 
be  well  depicted  with  it.  For  table-cover  borders,  and  pillows, 
the  effect  of  chenille  is  extremely  rich,  both  the  design  and  ground 
being  worked  in  Irish  stitch.  Silk  grounds  are  also  admired 
with  patterns  in  chenille. 

Chenille  is  more  commonly  made  of  silk ; it  has,  however, 
been  manufactured  of  wool,  but  as  the  process  is  equally  ex- 
pensive, there  is  a very  trifling  difference  in  its  cost.  Two  sizes 
of  chenille  are  those  usually  employed : The  smallest  is  termed 
chenille  a broder ; the  next  size,  which  is  principally  used  for 
coarse  canvas  work  and  crochet,  is  called  chenille  ordinaire .* 

BRAID. 

Braid  is  of  three  kinds, — Russia,  French  and  round  braid, — but 
union  cord  is  more  frequently  employed  than  the  latter.  Braids 
are  manufactured  either  of  gold  or  silver,  silk,  worsted,  or  cotton : 
gold  and  silk,  and  silver  and  silk,  are  sometimes  mixed  together 
in  the  same  piece. 

The  application  of  braids  in  forming  a most  elegant  and  easy 
species  of  embroidery  is  well  known,  and,  if  well  executed,  can- 
not be  too  much  admired,  either  for  folios,  bags,  note  cases, 


* The  first  process  in  the  manufacture  of  chenille,  is  that  of  weaving;  this 
is  done  in  the  same  manner  as  plain  weaving,  with  the  exception  that  the 
threads  of  the  warp  are  placed  at  short  and  regular  distances  from  each  other, 
according  to  the  required  size  of  this  material.  When  woven,  it  is  cut  with 
scissors  between  the  threads  of  the  warp  into  strips,  leaving  a fringed  edge, 
as  it  were,  on  each  side.  They  are  afterwards  twisted  with  a proper  machine. 
The  more  tightly  chenille  is  twisted,  the  thicker  and  closer  the  pile  becomes. 


CHENILLE,  BRAIDS,  ETC. 


67 


sachets,  table  cover  borders,  chairs,  ottomans,  and  other  pieces  of 
furniture,  besides  various  articles  of  dress.  The  quality , however 
must  be  good  where  nicety  of  work  is  desired. 

UNION  CORD. 

Union  cord  is  often  employed  with  braid,  and  with  the  ad- 
dition of  gold  cord,  serves  as  a pretty  relief.  Gold  union  cord 
is  also  very  rich, — close  braiding  patterns,  or  a vermicelli  pattern, 
being  best  calculated  for  its  display. 

STRAW. 

A flat  plaited  straw,  with  both  edges  alike,  has  been  introduced 
into  worsted  work,  for  carriage  baskets,  and  other  fancy  articles. 
It  is  exceedingly  pretty,  and  well  adapted  to  these  purposes  from 
its  bright  appearance  and  durability.  Embroidery  with  split  straw 
has  also  been  done  on  velvet  and  silk,  and  has  a curious  and 
beautiful  effect. 

NACRE  AND  ECAILLE. 

Nacre,  or  mother  of  pearl,  cut  into  paillettes  of  various  forms, 
has  been  employed  in  a peculiar  species  of  needlework  with  good 
effect;  it  is  not,  however,  commonly  to  be  met  with,  and  is  seldom 
practised  in  this  country.  Nacre  is  generally  worked  on  velvet 
or  satin,  to  represent  birds  or  flowers,  either  in  relief  or  flat;  the 
stems  and  other  parts  being  formed  of  gold  bullion.  It  is  some- 
times used  for  embroidering  parts  of  the  vestments  of  the  clergy 
in  Catholic  countries. 

Another  description,  known  by  the  name  of  ecaille  work,  is  an 
imitation  of  the  above.  Pieces  of  flattened  quill,  cut  into  simi- 


68 


CHENILLE,  BRAIDS,  ETC. 


lar  shapes,  but  by  a much  less  expensive  process,  are  used  in 
the  same  manner.  The  ecaille  (as  it  is  improperly  termed)  is 
cut  with  a punch  whilst  the  quill  is  in  a soft  state,  which 
at  the  same  time  pierces  the  small  holes  by  which  it  is  to  be 
attached.  This  species  of  work  is  perhaps  more  delicate  and 
pretty  than  the  preceding.  Whether  in  relief,  or  in  flat  embroi- 
dery, its  effect  is  best  displayed  on  velvet  when  intermixed  with 
gold. 


VELVET. 

Velvet  flowers  and  leaves,  cut  with  a punch,  are  used  with 
most  beautiful  effect  on  white  watered  gros  de  Naples,  the  stems 
being  worked  in  gold  bullion.  They  may  be  worked  either  flat  or 
raised,  the  same  style  of  pattern  being  employed  as  for  nacre  and 
ecaille.  Before  the  velvet  is  cut,  thin  paper  should  be  smoothly 
pasted  at  the  back  to  prevent  the  edges  becoming  rough  by 
unravelling. 


BEADS. 

Beads  are  made  either  gilt  or  plated,  or  of  glass,  or  steel.  A 
detailed  account  of  their  manufacture  and  use,  will  be  found  in  a 
subsequent  chapter  on  bead  work. 

Bugles  are  short  glass  tubes  of  various  colours.  They  have  of 
late  appeared  in  worsted  work,  and  in  an  inferior  description  of 
work  on  perforated  cardboard,  but  their  total  inapplicability  renders 
further  notice  of  them  unnecessary. 

PAILLONS  AND  PAILLETTES. 

Paillons  and  Paillettes  of  polished  steel  or  coloured  foils,  may  be 
beautifully  introduced  on  velvet  with  gold  braid  and  embroidery. 


CHENILLE,  BRAIDS,  ETC. 


69 


CREPE. 

Crepe  flowers  on  satin,  with  leaves  in  chenille  or  silk  em- 
broidery, are  very  delicate  and  elegant,  particularly  if  entirely 
worked  in  white.  The  shape  of  the  petals  should  be  made  in 
paper,  from  which  those  in  crepe  are  afterwards  to  be  cut  by 
the  scissors,  and  drawn  together  at  their  edges  to  the  form 
required.  The  centres  of  the  flowers,  if  of  a fancy  kind,  may  be 
worked  on  gold  or  silver ; but  if  natural,  chenille  or  silk  are 
preferable.  The  leaves  are  sometimes  worked  in  China  ribbon,  or 
velvet  applique. 


CHINA  RIBBON. 

China  ribbon  is  also  pretty  for  flowers.  By  running  a silk 
at  one  edge,  the  ribbon  may  be  puckered  up  into  a variety  of 
pretty  and  fantastic  forms. 

The  great  neatness  necessary  to  produce  a good  and  elegant 
effect  with  many  of  these  materials,  renders  their  use  and  applica- 
tion difficult.  What  can  be  more  wretched  than  the  attempts  at 
ribbon  work  for  instance,  on  a poor  thin  satin ; and  what  on  the 
contrary,  more  delicate  and  simple  than  the  neatly  executed  crepe 
flower,  and  well  embroidered  leaf? 


8 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


datums. 


“ These  are  the  gifts  of  Art,  and  Art  thrives  most 
Where  Commerce  has  enrich’d  the  busy  coast; 

He  catches  all  improvements  in  his  flight, 

Spread’s  foreign  wonders  in  his  country’s  sight, 

Imports  what  others  have  invented  well, 

And  stirs  his  own  to  match  them  or  excel. 

’Tis  thus  reciprocating,  each  with  each, 

Alternately  the  nations  learn  and  teach.” 

Cowper. 

ANVAS  may  be  classed  under  four  distinct  heads, 
according  to  the  materials  of  which  it  is  com- 
posed. We  have  silk,  cotton,  thread,  and  woollen 
canvas:  these  are  denominated  fine  or  coarse,  in 
proportion  as  they  contain  a greater  or  less 
number  of  threads  within  a given  space, — the  threads  being 
stoutest  where  they  are  less  numerous.  Each  canvas  is  further 
distinguished  by  a number  corresponding  to  its  size:  thus,  for  in- 
stance, we  have  a number  twenty,  and  a number  twelve,  canvas: 
these  figures  are,  however,  arbitrary,  and  vary  conformably  with 
the  customs  of  the  manufacturers  in  each  country,  ascending  or 
descending  relatively  with  their  fineness  or  coarseness ; and  as  they 


CANVAS. 


71 


are  more  particularly  intended  for  the  convenience  of  wholesale 
purchasers,  it  is  not  necessary  for  us  thus  to  specify  them,  as  it 
would  perhaps  be  more  perplexing  than  useful.  The  finest  canvas, 
whether  of  silk,  cotton,  or  thread,  has  acquired  the  general  appel- 
lation of  “Mosaic.” 


SILK  CANVAS. 

Silk,  more  frequently  termed  Berlin , canvas,  is  generally  used 
as  a substitute  for  grounding : it  is  well  adapted  for  flower, 
vignette,  gem,  and  all  kinds  of  set  and  arabesque  patterns,  and 
for  a variety  of  small,  useful  and  ornamental  items,  as  also  for 
articles  of  furniture  ; for  the  latter,  however,  it  is  not  so  well 
calculated  as  grounded  work,  where  durability  is  necessary  ; but 
for  screens  and  pillows,  and  many  other  purposes,  it  is  far  pre- 
ferable, much  time  and  labour  being  obviously  saved.  Silk  canvas 
can  be  obtained  of  most  colours, — but  white,  black,  claret,  and 
primrose,  are  those  generally  employed.  Working  on  this  canvas 
requires  greater  neatness  in  finishing  off  the  stitches  at  the  back, 
than  work  intended  to  be  grounded  ; the  wools  or  silks  must  not 
be  carried  across  from  one  part  to  another  beneath,  but  cut  off 
as  closely  as  possible,  otherwise  when  mounted,  they  would  show 
through  the  meshes  of  the  canvas,  greatly  detrimental  to  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  work. 

Berlin  canvas  being  an  expensive  manufacture,  is  frequently 
made  of  an  inferior  quality  ; it  therefore  requires  care  and 
judgment  in  its  selection  : — that  which  is  clearest,  and  freest  from 
knots,  and  of  a firm  and  uniform  texture,  is  to  be  preferred.  It 
is  made  in  widths,  varying  from  half  an  inch  to  a yard  and  a 
half,  but  there  is  not  that  variety  in  its  sizes  as  in  other 
descriptions  of  canvas  : four  sizes  in  general  are  manufactured, 


72 


CANVAS. 


which  severally  count  about  21,  29,  34,  and  40  threads  to  the 
inch.# 

A very  flexible  canvas,  made  entirely  of  silk,  was  introduced 
a few  years  since,  but  it  was  an  expensive  article,  and  adapted 
principally  for  bead  work  and  purses,  and  is  now  seldom  to  be 
met  with.  Silk  canvas,  with  gold  and  silver  threads  interwoven, 
has  also  been  made,  but  it  does  not  suit  the  taste  of  the  English. 

COTTON  CANVAS. 

Cotton  canvas  is  made  of  all  qualities,  sizes,  and  widths,  and 
is  manufactured  both  in  England,  France,  and  Germany.  The 
patent,  or  French  canvas,  is  superior,  not  only  on  account  of  its 
firmness,  but  from  the  great  regularity  and  clearness  of  its  threads, 
and,  above  all,  the  squareness  of  its  meshes, — an  object  of  very 
considerable  importance  to  the  needlewoman,  whose  work  might 
otherwise  become  most  singularly  distorted,  by  the  design  being 
lengthened  one  way,  and  at  the  same  time  diminished  the  other, 
or  the  contrary,  according  as  it  might  be  worked  on  the  length 
or  breadth  of  the  canvas  : this,  however,  is  an  evil  that  may  be 
taken  advantage  of  for  some  patterns,  when  it  becomes  necessary 
to  confine  the  work  within  certain  limits,  as  designs  may  be  oc- 
casionally used  which  would  not  otherwise  count  to  the  required 
dimensions. 

German  cotton  canvas,  although  of  an  inferior  description,  is 
as  well  adapted  to  some  purposes  as  the  above,  and  can  be 
procured  at  much  less  cost : it  is  generally  made  with  every  tenth 
thread  yellow,  which  many  persons  consider  a great  assistance  in 


* The  threads  of  silk  canvas  are  formed  by  a fine  silk  wound  round  a 
cotton  fibre. 


CANVAS. 


73 


counting  the  stitches.  It  is  manufactured  both  limp  and  stiffened, 
and,  like  the  French,  may  be  procured  of  all  sizes  and  widths  j 
but  in  texture,  it  is  not  so  strong  as  either  the  English  or 
French  canvas.  It  should  not  be  used  with  light  or  white 
grounds,  as  the  yellow  thread  will  show  through  the  work  : nor 

should  we  advise  it  where  much  tension  is  required  in  the 
mounting. 

A cotton  canvas,  in  imitation  of  silk,  has  been  made  in  Ger- 
many, but  it  soon  soils,  loses  its  colour,  and  is  otherwise  very 
inferior.* 


THREAD  CANVAS. 

Thread  canvas,  manufactured  from  hemp,  is  now  seldom  em- 
ployed, except  for  carpets  and  rugs,  for  which  purpose  its  greater 
strength  and  durability  peculiarly  adapt  it ; it  is  made  of  the 
usual  sizes  and  widths.  A fine  thread  canvas  formed  of  flax  is 
sometimes  to  be  procured. 

PENELOPE  CANVAS. 

Penelope  canvas  (so  called  from  its  having  the  appearance  of 
a canvas  from  which  the  work  has  been  unpicked)  is  much  used . 
it  is  considered  by  some  persons  to  be  easier  to  work  upon, 
each  four  threads  being  ready  for  the  needle  ; by  others,  how- 
ever, it  is  thought  dazzling  to  the  sight.  For  very  fine  cross 
stitch,  it  is  certainly  unobjectionable  and  more  easily  seen  ; but 
generally  speaking,  the  work  produced  upon  it  has  not  the 


* A canvas  has  been  made  purposely  for  tapestry-stitch,  but  it  is  not 
suitable  for  copying  Berlin  patterns. 

8* 


74 


CANVAS. 


even  pearly  appearance,  of  that  done  over  the  usual  canvas, 
Penelope  canvas  has  as  yfct  only  been  manufactured  of  cotton. 

FLATTENED  CANVAS. 

Flattened  canvas,  both  of  thread  and  cotton,  is  much  used  in 
France,  and  differs  only  from  the  others,  by  its  having  been 
passed  through  the  cylinders  of  a flatting  machine;  it  does  not 
possess  any  superior  qualities,  if  we  except  the  greater  facility 
with  which  designs  can  be  drawn  upon  it, — an  object  of  some 
importance,  where  the  old  method  of  working  with  the  pattern 
drawn  is  still  adhered  to ; but  the  work,  when  finished,  is  not 
equal  to  that  executed  on  round  thread  canvas.  This  plan,  how- 
ever, is  still  continued  by  one  house  in  Paris,  where  the  patterns 
are  all  drawn  on  the  canvas,  and  afterwards  traced  with  a fine 
silk  or  cotton,  of  the  colours  in  which  they  are  intended  to  be 
worked, — a process  rendering  the  work  more  expensive,  and  which 
does  not  appear  to  be  productive  of  any  beneficial  result. 

WOOLLEN  CANVAS. 

Woollen  canvas  is  an  article  of  German  manufacture,  and  may 
be  employed,  where  the  labour  of  grounding  is  sought  to  be 
avoided,  but  it  is  far  from  presenting  the  same  rich  appearance 
as  grounded  work.  Claret,  black,  white,  and  primrose,  are  the 
colours  generally  used,  but  others  may  be  procured. 

BOLTING. 

Bolting  is  a very  fine  description  of  woollen  canvas,  principally 
manufactured  in  England,  but  now  seldom  used  except  for  chil- 


CANVAS. 


75 


dren’s  samplers.  An  inferior  kind  of  canvas,  generally  of  a 
yellow  colour,  called  sampler  canvas,  is  also  made  for  the  same 
purpose : both  are  limited  in  width,  but  they  are  too  well  known 
to  need  further  description.* 


* Bolting  is  woven  after  the  manner  of  gauze,  of  fine  spun  woollen  yarn. 
It  was  originally  made  for  the  sifting  or  bolting  of  meal  or  flour,  whence 
it  derives  its  name. 


CHAPTER  IX 


JUrlin  patients. 


“Learn  hence  to  paint  the  parts  that  meet  the  view, 

In  spheroid  forms,  of  light  and  equal  hue; 

While  from  the  light  receding  or  the  eye, 

The  working  outlines  take  a fainter  dye, 

Lost  and  confused  progressively  they  fade, 

Not  fall  precipitate  from  light  to  shade. 

This  Nature  dictates,  and  this  taste  pursues, 

Studious  in  gradual  gloom  her  lights  to  lose ; 

The  various  whole  with  soft’ning  tints  to  fill, 

As  if  one  single  head  employ’d  her  skill.” 

Du  Fresnoy. 

ERLIN  patterns  have  contributed  more  towards 
the  advancement  of  needlework  of  the  present  day, 
than  any  improvement  that  has  of  late  years  been 
introduced  into  the  art, — not  simply  from  the  as- 
sistance they  yield  the  needlewoman,  but  from  the 
aemand  they  have  occasioned  for  improved  and 
superior  materials.  Hence  the  beautiful  wools  we  now  possess, 
which  would  never  probably  have  been  manufactured,  had  they  not 
been  imperatively  called  for  by  the  invention  of  these  designs. 
We  are  indebted  to  Germany,  for  both  these  advantages;  and  it  is 


BERLIN  PATTERNS. 


77 


not  a little  singular,  that  the  country  which  produces  them  ap- 
pears to  be  the  least  capable  of  appreciating  their  value, — as  is 
evident  from  the  greater  portion  of  the  needlework  exposed  for 
sale  throughout  Germany.  The  work  of  German  ladies  is  of 
course  an  exception  to  this,  as  when  taste  and  talent  direct  the 
needle,  it  will  be  equally  beautiful  ’wherever  it  may  be  found. 
England,  and  next  to  her,  perhaps  Russia,  have  profited  most  by 
these  auxiliaries.  The  ladies  of  Sweden  and  Denmark  work  a 
great  deal  from  them;  the  French,  as  yet,  have  used  them  but 
little,  the  old  method  of  drawing  the  subject  on  canvas  being  still 
much  in  vogue.  Great  numbers  of  these  patterns  are  exported 
to  America,  and  to  the  various  countries  of  the  Continent.* 

Berlin  patterns,  although  a production  of  recent  date,  have  be- 
come an  article  of  considerable  commerce  in  Germany,  where  a 
large  amount  of  capital  is  employed  in  their  manufacture.  They 
are  either  copied  from  celebrated  pictures,  or  (as  is  more  fre- 
quently the  case)  from  the  newest  and  most  favourite  engravings 
published  either  in  England,  France,  or  Germany.  Many  sub- 
jects, such  as  flowers  and  arabesques,  are  designed  expressly.  They 
are  first  drawn  in  colours  on  quadrille  or  foint  jpajper^]  and  as 
the  excellence  of  the  pattern  depends  principally  on  the  first  de- 
sign, it  may  readily  be  imagined  that  artists  of  considerable  talent 
are  required  for  their  execution.  From  this  drawing,  an  engrav- 
ing or  etching  is  made  on  a copper-plate,  which  has  previously 
been  ruled  in  squares  of  the  required  size,  corresponding  to  the 
threads  of  the  canvas : various  marks  and  hieroglyphics  are 
engraved  on  each  check  or  square,  which  are  to  serve  as  guides 

* The  proportionate  demand  in  other  countries  may  be  stated  according  to 
the  following  order  of  their  respective  names: — Holland,  Belgium,  Switzerland, 
Italy,  Spain,  and  Portugal. 

t Paper  marked  out  into  squares  of  a regular  size. 


78 


BERLIN  PATTERNS. 


for  those  who  afterwards  colour  the  impressions  on  paper ; the 
part  for  each  colour,  or  separate  shade  of  colour,  being  marked 
with  a different  figure.  The  pattern,  when  in  this  state,  bears 
a very  great  resemblance  to  those  published  in  old  books  on 
needlework,  above  two  centuries  since ; the  present  mode  being,  in 
fact,  merely  an  improvement  on  the  designs  which  have  for  years 
been  used  by  weavers  for  their  figured  stuffs.* 

The  process  of  colouring  these  patterns  is  curious ; the  various 
tints  are  quickly  laid  on,  commencing  with  each  separate  colour 
on  severa*  patterns  at  the  same  time,  each  check,  or  continuous 
line  of  checks,  according  to  the  engraved  figures,  being  coloured 
by  one  stroke  of  the  pencil,  the  point  of  which  is  kept  very 
square,  and  of  a size  adapted  to  that  of  the  check  of  the  en- 
graving. Practice  alone  renders  the  touch  perfect ; and  it  is 
surprising  to  see  with  what  rapidity  and  exactness  each  tint 
after  another  is  laid  on.  If  we  for  a moment  reflect  on  these 
different  processes,  and  the  time  they  must  necessarily  occupy, 
the  expense  of  the  design  and  the  engraving,  and  that  each 
square  is  coloured  by  hand,  we  cannot  fail  to  be  surprised  at 
the  small  cost  at  which  they  are  to  be  procured ; and  our  won- 
der will  not  be  diminished  when  we  are  told,  that  in  some  of 
these  patterns  there  are  considerably  above  half  a million  of 
small  squares,  like  those  of  a mosaic,  to  be  separately  coloured. 

All  Berlin  patterns  are  equally  adapted  for  working  either  in 
cross  or  tent  stitch,  though  great  judgment  is  requisite  in  choosing 
them.  Patterns  intended  to  be  enlarged  by  the  working,  should 
be  closely  shaded,  or  the  colouring,  being  dispersed,  will  appear 
meagre.  Difficulties  frequently  arise  from  working  these  designs 


* We  have  several  impressions  of  the  patterns  in  this  first  stage,  which 
have  been  kindly  presented  to  us  by  the  various  manufacturers. 


BERLIN  PATTERNS. 


79 


without  previously  fixing  on  the  colour  of  the  grounding ; this 
should  always  be  done  in  the  first  instance,  as  a pattern,  to  work 
well,  must  always  be  shaded,  or  sorted , with  strict  attention  to 
the  colour  of  the  ground, — a maxim  which  is  but  too  frequently 
neglected.  Most  of  the  figure  patterns  may,  with  a fair  knowledge 
of  painting,  and  a just  idea  of  light  and  shade,  be  much  im- 
proved, as  many  of  them  are  extremely  correct  in  the  outlines, 
although  the  colouring  of  most  is  harsh  and  glaring  in  the  extreme, 
— a defect  which  it  is  the  province  of  the  expert  needlewoman 
to  overcome ; in  this  respect,  however,  there  is  frequently  a great 
difference  even  in  the  colouring  of  the  same  design.  In  sorting 
the  wools  for  working  historical  subjects,  attention  to  a few  of 
the  common  rules  of  painting  will  be  found  useful  in  correcting 
some  of  the  more  gross  of  these  errors,  such,  as  for  instance,  the 
back  and  foreground  being  of  the  same  depth  of  shade. — 

“ Know  first,  that  light  displays  and  shade  destroys 
Refulgent  Nature’s  variegated  dyes. 

Thus  bodies  near  the  light  distinctly  shine 
With  rays  direct,  and  as  it  fades  decline.”* 

Black  should  never  be  used  next  a high  light : one-eighth  of  every 
object  has  a high  light  upon  it,  one-eighth  is  darkest  shadow, 
and  six  parts  light  and  half  tint.  No  objects  in  nature,  are 
'positively  blue,  red,  or  yellow, — owing  to  two  causes  : the  one, 
that  most  objects  reflect  the  sky;  the  other,  that  the  atmosphere 
between  the  eye  of  the  observer  and  the  object,  causes  the  bright- 
ness of  the  tints  to  be  deadened:  it  hence  arises,  that  care  must 
be  taken  to  avoid  the  immediate  contact  of  bright  colours  with 
each  other,  where  any  attempt  is  made  to  imitate  nature, — the 


Du  Fresnoy,  translated  by  Mason. 


80 


BERLIN  PATTERNS. 


contrary  of  which,  it  would  appear,  was  the  point  to  be  arrived 
at  in  some  of  the  Berlin  patterns. 

“ Chose  such  judicious  force  of  shade  and  light 
As  suits  the  theme,  and  satisfies  the  sight; 

Weigh  part  with  part,  and  with  prophetic  eye 
The  future  power  of  all  thy  tints  descry; 

And  those,  those  only  on  the  canvas  place, 

Whose  hues  are  social,  whose  effect  is  grace.”* 

In  some  patterns,  when  harmony  of  colour  alone  is  to  be  sought, 
it  is  easier  to  avoid  these  defects;  but  a few  of  the  more  neces- 
sary rules  to  be  observed,  independent  of  the  guidance  of  taste, 
may  not  be  unacceptable.  Scarlets  and  yellows  assort  very  ill, 
and  browns  and  lilacs  are  also  lost  upon  a scarlet  ground;  blues 
and  greens  are  bad  together,  as  well  as  yellow  and  green  ; on 
the  contrary,  almost  all  the  class  of  drabs  and  fawns  (called  by 
the  French  ecrus,  and  used  by  them  with  such  exquisite  taste), 
are  good  with  blue ; the  colder  and  greener  shades  with  lilacs ; 
the  deep  rich  brown-toned  drabs  are  beautiful  with  yellow ; pinks 
and  greys  are  good  ; scarlets  and  slates  ; greens  and  red  browns; 
greens,  and  maize,  with  some  shades  of  salmon  colour;  blue  with 
maize;  lilac  with  green;  and  blue  with  claret, — will  all  be  found 
generally  to  please  the  eye. 

The  greatest  difficulty  which  we  have  to  encounter  in  selecting 
the  colours  for  figure  patterns,  is  the  face  ; so  many  totally  dif- 
ferent colours  and  shades  are  here  required  to  produce,  when 
worked,  what  should  appear  to  be  almost  but  as  one — and  here 
the  skill  of  the  needlewoman  will  be  fairly  put  to  the  trial.  The 
skies  and  clouds  are  also  difficult  to  manage;  the  greatest  nicety 


* Du  Fresnoy,  translated  by  Mason. 


BERLIN  PATTERNS. 


81 


being  required  in  the  blending  of  the  various  colours,  and  to 
avoid  the  liney  appearance  which  will  but  too  frequently  occur. 

Berlin  patterns  can  be  copied  on  cloth,  satin,  or  other  materials, 
by  stretching  a canvas  over  them,  and  working  through  the 
threads,  which  are  afterwards  to  be  drawn  out  On  cloth,  however, 
it  is  better  not  entirely  to  withdraw  the  threads,  but  only  to  cut 
them  off  close  to  the  work ; by  this  means,  when  mounted,  it  will 
have  a much  richer  and  closer  appearance,  and  if  intended  for 
articles  of  furniture,  will  wear  much  better.  In  groups  of  flowers, 
the  small  interstices  of  ground  which  sometimes  appear  between 
the  leaves,  are  better  worked  with  a wool  exactly  corresponding 
to  the  colour  of  the  cloth,  than  to  cut  out  the  threads,  — an 
uniform  surface  being  thus  given  to  the  whole  work. 

For  working  these  patterns  on  Berlin,  or  silk  canvas,  the  same 
rules  are  applicable  as  for  canvas  intended  to  be  grounded;  but 
it  may  not  be  improper  to  remark,  in  this  place,  on  a method  of 
mounting  small  pieces  of  work  on  Berlin  canvas,  which  has  been 
copied  from  the  Germans:  namely,  that  of  placing  a painted  sky 
behind  the  canvas.  Good  needlework  requires  no  foreign  aid  for 
its  display  ; but  here,  on  the  contrary,  instead  of  receiving  any 
such,  a mean  and  paltry  appearance  is  frequently  given  to  it. 
Vignette  and  flower  pieces  &c.  even  when  worked  on  white  silk 
canvas,  may  sometimes  be  appropriately  lined  with  coloured  satins 
or  velvets,  to  take  away  from  the  otherwise  cold  appearance  of  the 
ground;  but  the  lining  should  always  be  of  one  uniform  colour. 
Coloured  silk  canvas  should  be  lined  with  a coloured  ground  in 
accordance  with  their  several  tints. 

A few  coloured  paper  patterns  are  published  at  Vienna;  they 
consist  principally  of  flowers,  birds,  and  arabesques:  some  of  these 
surpass  in  beauty  of  design  and  colouring  (being  more  true  to  na- 
ture) any  of  those  produced  at  Berlin,  particularly  when  worked. 


82 


BERLIN  PATTERNS. 


We  may,  for  instance,  mention  the  pattern  of  the  Parrot  and 
Basket  of  Flowers,  the  Cockatoo  and  Flowers,  and  a most  beautiful 
Group  of  Flowers,  principally  tulips,  in  a basket. 

Attempts  have  been  made,  but  unsuccessfully,  to  produce  similar 
patterns  at  Dresden  and  Nuremberg,  and  also  at  Paris ; but  nothing 
more  wretched,  either  in  design  or  execution,  can  be  conceived. 

It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  observe,  that  the  work  executed 
from  these  patterns  in  England,  far  surpasses  anything  of  the 
kind  usually  done  on  the  Continent.  In  Germany,  the  work  done 
for  sale  from  Berlin  patterns  is  frequently  more  defective  in  point 
of  colouring  than  the  patterns  themselves.  We  formerly  procured 
the  greatest  part  of  our  most  beautiful  needlework  from  France 
and  Germany ; but  the  art  has,  within  the  last  few  years,  so  greatly 
improved  in  England,  that  ere  long  we  must  be  the  exporters. 
The  French  are  behind  us  in  all  kinds  of  canvas  work, — with 
their  embroidery  we  can  seldom  compete.* 


* We  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Wittich  for  the  following  facts  relative  to  the 
history  of  Berlin  patterns. — About  the  year  1805,  a Mr.  Phillipson  published 
some  patterns,  which,  being  badly  executed  and  devoid  of  taste,  did  not  meet 
with  the  encouragement  he  expected.  In  1810,  Madame  Wittich, — a lady  of 
great  taste  and  an  accomplished  needlewoman,  justly  appreciating  the  advantages 
the  art  would  derive  from  such  designs,  and  anxious  that  this  species  of  amuse- 
ment for  ladies  should  be  more  widely  spread, — prevailed  upon  her  husband,  a 
printseller  of  note  at  Berlin,  to  undertake  the  publication  of  a series  of  these 
patterns ; which  he  did,  got  up  in  so  superior  a manner,  that  many  of  the  first 
patterns  which  were  issued  from  his  establishment  are  now  in  as  much  demand 
as  those  more  recently  published : in  fact,  we  very  much  doubt  whether  any, 
since  published  by  other  houses,  have  ever  equalled,  either  in  design  or  colour- 
ing, the  earlier  productions  of  Mr.  Wittich. 

The  designer  and  engraver  of  these  patterns  are  of  course  paid  as  artists , in 
proportion  to  their  talents ; the  cost  of  the  first  coloured  design  on  point  paper 
varying  from  three  to  thirty  or  forty  guineas,  but,  in  some  instances,  as  in  the 
large  pattern  of  Bolton  Abbey,  the  Garden  of  Boccaccio,  &c.  it  is  considerably 
more.  The  colouring  affords  employment  both  for  men,  women,  and  children  : 
a dozen  or  half-dozen  copies  are  given  to  each  person  at  a time,  with  the  original 


BERLIN  PATTERNS. 


83 


design  as  a guide.  An  industrious  man  seldom  earns  more  than  one  thaler, 
or  three  shillings,  per  day;  the  children,  from  six  to  eight  silber-groschen,  or 
from  sixpence  to  tenpence  English.  From  the  great  increase  of  the  trade  of 
late  years,  and  the  number  of  new  houses  that  have  sprung  up,  it  is  impossible 
to  give  (as  a statistical  fact)  any  idea  of  the  number  of  persons  employed  in 
their  manufacture.  Besides  the  hands  engaged  in  the  preparation  of  these 
patterns,  they  have  been  the  means  indirectly  of  affording  employment  to  nu- 
merous other  persons,  by  creating  a demand  for  new  and  various  articles  in 
other  branches  of  trade;  such  as  in  the  preparation  and  dyeing  of  wools  and 
silks,  the  weaving  of  canvas,  &c.  whilst  others,  principally  females,  are  engaged 
in  working  the  designs. 


CHAPTER  X 


SDratoing  patterns  fotr  (Embroiberg, 
BraiMng,  etc. 


“ Artist,  attend — your  brushes  and  your  paint.” 

COWPER. 

u Whether  the  shapeless  wool  in  balls  she  wound, 

Or  with  quick  motion  turn’d  the  spindle  round, 

Or  with  her  pencil  drew  the  neat  design, 

Pallas  her  mistress  shone  in  every  line.” 

Ovid. 

ONSIDERABLE  experience  and  skill  are  requi- 
site for  the  designing  of  suitable  patterns  for 
needlework,  and  drawing  them  on  the  material 
upon  which  they  are  intended  to  be  worked, — 
the  most  essential,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most 
difficult  parts  of  the  preparatory  process.  Any 
person  with  moderate  talent  for  drawing,  can  easily  accomplish  the 
operation  of  tracing ; but  it  requires  a combined  knowledge  both 
of  painting  and  needlework,  to  perfectly  adapt  the  design  to  the 
purpose  intended,  as  the  draughtsman  might  portray  his  subject 
in  such  a manner,  that  however  beautiful  and  correct  it  might  be, 
it  would  be  impossible  to  imitate  or  express  it  in  embroidery. 


DRAWING  PATTERNS. 


85 


The  design  being  carefully  and  distinctly  drawn  on  paper,  it 
must  be  neatly  pierced  with  a steel  point  into  holes  : the  pattern 
thus  prepared  must  be  laid  on  the  cloth,  velvet,  satin,  or  whatever 
may  be  the  material  intended  to  be  worked  upon,  care  being 
taken  that  both  are  perfectly  flat  and  even,  and  that  the  pattern 
is  placed  in  the  exact  position  it  is  intended  to  occupy,  and 
firmly  kept  in  its  place  by  means  of  weights,  as  the  slightest 
hifting  of  the  pattern  would  entirely  destroy  the  effect : pounce 
must  then  be  rubbed  over  it,  so  as  to  penetrate  equally  through 
the  pierced  holes.  On  removing  the  paper  (if  the  operation  has 
been  skilfully  performed),  the  design  will  be  found  to  be  as 
beautifully  and  as  distinctly  marked  out  as  if  it  were  actually 
printed  on  the  fabric.  The  design  thus  produced  on  the  material 
must  be  traced  over  with  the  proper  liquid,  using  a sable  or 
goat’s  hair  pencil  for  the  purpose, — a camel’s  hair  pencil,  especially 
if  it  be  for  drawing  on  cloth,  being  too  flexible. 

Drawing  liquid  is  a preparation  the  best  adapted  for  tracing 
these  designs,  as  it  can  be  prepared  of  any  colour,  and  is  equally 
adapted  for  every  description  of  material  that  can  be  worked  upon. 
All  mixtures  of  gum  and  white  lead,  or  other  colours,  should  be 
especially  avoided,  as  they  produce  a rough,  uneven  surface,  and 
are  so  easily  rubbed  off,  that  they  injure  the  silks  used  in  em- 
broidery ; and  in  braiding,  the  pattern  of  one  part  is  frequently 
worn  off  while  working  the  other,  by  the  mere  rubbing  of  the 
fingers.* 

When  large  patterns  are  required  to  be  drawn,  such  as  for 
table-cloths,  ottomans,  and  the  like,  where  the  same  pattern,  or 


* Drawing  liquid  is  the  composition  made  by  pattern  drawers  to  trace  their 
designs  ; and  we  conclude  that  each  designer  has  some  different  preparation, 
the  excellence  of  which  is  best  tested  by  its  tenacity,  and  the  clearness  of  the 
outline  which  can  be  produced  with  it. 

9* 


86 


DRAWING  PATTERNS. 


its  reverse,  is  intended  to  be  repeated,  it  will  be  found  a great 
saving  both  of  time  and  trouble,  to  draw  one  division  of  the 
design  only  on  the  paper,  with  certain  corresponding  guides  or 
marks,  which  are  also  to  be  pounced,  in  order  that  the  pattern 
may  be  again  placed  in  its  exact  relative  position,  to  continue  or 
repeat  the  other  portion  of  the  design,  which  has  been  previously 
pounced.  This  method,  jf  followed  with  adroitness,  will  produce 
a more  correct  pattern  when  finished,  than  if  the  whole  design 
had  been  drawn,  and  pounced  at  the  same  time.* 

In  drawing  a design  on  paper,  when  the  two  halves,  or  four 
quarters  or  corners,  are  intended  to  correspond,  much  time  is 
saved,  if,  instead  of  repeating  the  drawing,  the  paper  be  folded 
in  two  or  four  portions,  taking  care  that  the  folded  edges  be 

exactly  parallel  to  each  other  : the  pattern  being  drawn  on 

one  division  of  the  paper  thus  doubled,  the  holes  are  to  be 

pierced  through  the  several  portions  at  the  same  time.  On 

opening  the  paper,  a more  correct  design  will  be  found  to  have 
been  produced,  than  if  each  portion  had  been  separately  drawn 
and  pierced. — This  mode,  when  the  design  will  admit  of  it,  may 
be  advantageously  adopted,  even  where  the  paper  would  require 
to  be  doubled  six  or  eight  times,  provided  care  be  taken  to  keep 
the  several  parts  exactly  folded. 

MM.  Revol  and  Regondet  obtained  a “ Brevet  d’ Invention7 
for  a method  of  pouncing  and  tracing  patterns,  which  deserves 
some  notice  : — “ Elle  consiste  a remplacer  la  poudre  de  charbon, 
la  craie,  ou  la  chaux  vive  dont  on  se  servait  autrefois,  par 
une  poudre  resineuse  tres  fine.  On  ponce  avec  cette  poudre 
comme  a 1’ ordinaire,  puis  on  la  fixe  promptement,  en  passant 

* This  process  is  similar  to  that  employed  for  block-printing  for  calicoes, 
paper  hangings,  &c.  where  it  is  requisite  to  repeat  the  same  pattern,  or  to  print 
the  different  parts  of  the  pattern  with  various  colours. 


DRAWING  PATTERNS. 


87 


l’etpffe  au-dessus  d’un  brasier  peu  ardent,  ou  bien  en  promenant 
un  fer  chaud  a repasser  sur  cette  etoffe  recouverte  alors  d’un 
papier  blanc.  Cette  derniere  methode,  d’un  usage  plus  sur,  a 
1’ a vantage  de  produire  un  dessin  correct  sur  le  papier,  en  meme 
terns  que  de  fixer  ce  dessin  irrevocablement  sur  1’ etoffe.  On 
conqoit  aisement  que  la  chaleur  fond  la  resine,  que  celle-ci  s’ attache 
au  tissu,  et  que  par  consequent  le  dessin  est  solidement  imprime. 
Les  personnes  soigneuses  comprendront  aussi  combien  il  est  im- 
portant d’e  viter  de  repandre  de  cette  poudre  sur  1’ etoffe  ailleurs 
que  dans  les  endroits  que  la  broderie  doit  recouvrir.  Elies  pensent 
avec  raison  qu’il  en  resulterait,  par  faction  de  la  chaleur,  des  taches 
qui  ne  s’enleveraient  que  comme  les  taches  resineuses  ordinaires.” 
For  embroidering  in  satin-stitch,  the  pattern,  traced  in  black  on 
paper,  may  be  tacked  under  the  material,  when  it  is  sufficiently 
transparent  to  admit  of  its  being  seen,  as  in  muslins,  cambric, 
& c.  This  seems  the  easiest  and  most  delicate  way  of  following 

the  design  ; but  where  the  material  is  too  thick,  the  pattern  may 
be  drawn  upon  it  with  indigo,  mixed  with  a sufficient  quantity  of 
gum  to  prevent  its  “ running  ■”  The  lighter  these  lines  are 

drawn  the  better,  as  they  are  the  more  easily  effaced  by  washing.* 
There  is  great  difficulty  in  changing  the  proportions  of  patterns: 
those  which  are  much  admired  when  small,  frequently  lose  all 
their  delicacy  and  taste  when  enlarged ; and  on  the  contrary,  bold 
and  elegant  designs  are  quite  lost  when  reduced.  This  should  be 
pointed  out  by  the  designer,  who  should  both  consult  and  direct 
the  taste  and  judgment  of  the  embroideress. 


* The  following  preparation  is  frequently  used  for  this  purpose.  A table 
T spoonful  of  spirits  of  wine,  in  which  are  dissolved  sugar  and  gum  arabic  in 
equal  parts,  about  as  much  as  would  lay  upon  a sixpence,  coloured  with  indigo. 
For  common  purposes,  however,  a cake  of  water  colour  indigo  will  be  found 
equally  useful. 


88 


DRAWING  PATTERNS. 


With  respect  to  the  various  materials  used  as  the  groundwork 
for  embroidery  and  braiding,  on  which  the  design  is  to  be  traced, 
little  need  be  said.  Satin,  from  the  glossy  smoothness  of  its  sur- 
face, is  perhaps  the  most  difficult  to  draw  upon ; the  pencil  being 
apt  to  follow  the  straight  threads  of  the  warp,  thus  rendering  it 
less  easy  to  produce  with  gracefulness  the  curved  lines,  as  on 
other  materials.  In  pouncing,  velvet  requires  the  greatest  care, 
as  from  the  elasticity  of  its  pile,  the  paper  pattern  has  a ten- 
dency to  move ; great  care,  therefore,  is  required,  in  order  to 
adjust  it  properly  and  firmly  in  its  place,  with  the  weights. 
The  richer  the  velvet — the  pile  being  closer  and  shorter — the 
greater  is  the  facility  with  which  it  can  be  pounced,  and  drawn 
upon ; in  fact,  none  but  the  best  velvets  should  ever  be  used 
either  for  embroidery  or  braiding : — this  latter  remark  is  equally 
applicable  to  cloth.  A good  knowledge  of  drawing,  and  experience, 
will  alone  make  a proficient  in  this  department,  which,  at  first 
sight  may  appear  to  be  merely  mechanical. 

To  many  persons,  especially  the  artist,  some  of  the  above  pro- 
cesses may  appear  tedious  and  unnecessary,  as  we  frequently  see 
some  of  the  most  beautiful  patterns  drawn  on  the  materials  at 
once,  without  any  previous  design  or  pouncing  being  required. 
Such  patterns  are  of  course  the  most  valuable,  as  being  unique.* 


* Patterns  may  also  be  drawn  on  paper,  and  the  lines  cut  out  in  a way 
similar  to  that  adopted  for  stencilling  plates,  but  the  process  is  both  tedious 
and  difficult. 


CHAPTER  XI 


3 mpletneuts. 


“Implements  of  ev’ry  size, 

And  formed  for  various  use.” 

Cowper. 

NEEDLES. 

HEN,  as  has  been  justly  observed,  we  consider 
the  simplicity,  smallness,  and  moderate  price  of 
a needle,  we  should  naturally  be  led  to  suppose 
that  this  little  instrument  requires  neither  much 
labour  nor  complicated  manipulations  in  its  con- 
struction ; but  when  we  learn  that  every  sewing 
needle,  however  inconsiderable  its  size,  passes  through  the  hand 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  different  operatives,  before  it  is  ready 
for  sale,  we  cannot  fail  to  be  surprised.* 


* It  would  be  tedious  to  enter  into  the  minutiae  of  the  manufacture  of  these 
small  but  important  implements,  but  a few  cursory  remarks  on  one  or  two 
processes  through  which  they  pass  may  not  be  uninteresting.  When  the 
wire  which  is  to  form  the  needle  has  been  pointed,  and  flattened  at  the  other 


90 


IMPLEMENTS. 


There  are  a great  variety  of  needles,  but  it  will  be  necessary 
for  us  only  to  mention  those  which  are  more  immediately  em- 
ployed for  decorative  needlework.  These  are  known  by  the 
names  of  tapestry  needles,  sharps,  and  long-eyed  sharps.  The 
tapestry  needle  is  blunt  at  the  point,  with  a long  oval  eye ; it 
is  made  of  various  sizes  ; those  in  common  use,  being  from 
numbers  fourteen  to  twenty-five,  and  are  applicable  to  every  de- 
scription of  canvas  work.  They  should  be  manufactured  of  the 


extremity  to  form  the  head,  it  is  handed  to  the  piercer.  This  is  commonly 
a child,  who,  laying  the  head  upon  a block  of  steel,  and  applying  the  point 
of  a small  punch  to  it,  pierces  the  eye  with  a smart  tap  of  a hammer,  ap- 
plied first  upon  the  one  side,  and  then  exactly  opposite  upon  the  other. 
Another  child  trims  the  eyes,  which  he  does  by  laying  the  needle  upon  a 
lump  of  lead,  and  driving  a proper  punch  through  fts  eye;  then  laying  it 
sideways  upon  a flat  piece  of  steel,  with  the  punch  sticking  in  it,  he  gives  it  a tap 
on  each  side  with  his  hammer,  and  causes  the  eye  to  take  the  shape  of  the  punch. 
The  operation  of  piercing  and  trimming  the  eyes  is  performed  by  clever  chil- 
dren with  astonishing  rapidity,  who  become  so  dexterous  as  to  pierce  with  a 
punch  a human  hair , and  thread  it  with  another , for  the  amusement  of  visitors. 
The  next  operation  makes  the  grove  at  the  eye,  and  rounds  the  head;  they 
are  then  tempered,  polished,  &c.  and  thrown  as  a confused  heap,  into  a some- 
what concave  iron  tray,  in  which,  by  a few  dexterous  jerks  of  the  workman’s 
hand,  they  are  made  to  arrange  themselves  parallel  to  each  other.  They  are 
afterwards  sorted  and  divided  into  quantities  for  packing  in  blue  papers,  by 
putting  into  a small  balance  the  equivalent  weight  of  one  hundred  needles, 
and  so  measuring  them  out  without  the  trouble  of  counting  them  individually. 

It  is  easy  to  distinguish  good  English  needles  from  spurious  imitations;  be- 
cause the  former  have  their  axis  coincident  with  their  points,  which  is  readily 
observed  by  turning  them  round  between  the  finger  and  thumb. 

The  construction  of  a needle  requires,  as  already  stated,  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty  operations ; but  they  are  rapidly  and  uninterruptedly  successive : a 
child  can  trim  the  eyes  of  four  thousand  needles  per  hour. 

When  we  survey  a manufacture  of  this  kind,  we  cannot  fail  to  observe, 
that  the  diversity  of  operations  which  the  needles  undergo,  bears  the  impress 
of  great  mechanical  refinement.  In  the  arts,  to  divide  labour  is  to  abridge 
it;  to  multiply  operations  is  to  simplify  them;  and  to  attach  an  operative  ex- 
clusively to  one  process,  is  to  render  him  much  more  economical  and 
productive. — Abridged  from  Dr.  Ure. 


IMPLEMENTS, 


91 


finest  steel,  but  they  are  occasionally  made  of  gold  or  silver  for 
use  in  warm  climates.  The  same  kind  of  needle  made  with  a 
sharp  point,  is  employed  for  chenille  embroidery,  and  for  working 
on  cloth  through  canvas. 

The  sharps  are  the  common  sewing  needles,  with  round  eyes  ; 
they  are  made  of  various  qualities,  both  as  to  steel  and  work- 
manship. There  is  also  a similar  kind  of  needle,  but  shorter, 
termed  blunts  ; the  first  are  useful  for  all  general  purposes,  the 
latter  are  principally  employed  by  the  tailor,  the  glover,  the 
shoe  binder,  and  workers  in  leather.  They  are  made  in  sizes 
numbering  from  one  to  fifteen.  The  truer  the  eye — whether 
diamond-shaped  or  round — the  less  it  cuts  the  thread,  and  the 
easier  it  passes  through  the  work.  Needles  called  long-eyed  sharps, 
having  a long  eye,  are  used  for  embroidery  both  in  silk  and 
wool — those  most  generally  employed,  number  from  one  to  ten. 
Darners  are  a similar  kind  of  needle,  but  much  longer  than  the 
former ; they  are  mostly  applicable  to  domestic  purposes.  Aiguilles 
a F Y grec,  are  used  in  France  for  embroidering,  but  those 
familiarly  known  as  Whitechapel  needles,  are  better.* 


* The  needles  used  in  ancient  times,  were  principally  of  bronze : Pliny 
mentions  them  of  this  metal.  Sewing  and  netting  needles  have  been  found 
both  at  Herculaneum  and  Pompeii ; and  several  are  preserved  in  the  Hamiltonian 
and  other  collections.  On  the  two  marbles  brought  from  the  neighbourhood 
of  Amyclae  in  Lyconia,  by  the  earl  of  Aberdeen,  are  represented,  among  other 
requisites  for  the  toilet  of  a Grecian  female,  combs,  pins,  needles,  and  bodkins. 
See  Walpole’s  Memoirs  relating  to  European  and  Asiatic  Turkey , p.  244.  It  is 
supposed  that  needles,  similar  to  those  now  employed,  were  originally  made  in 
Spain,  from  the  circumstance  of  their  having  been  called  Spanish  needles  when 
first  used  in  England,  although  the  art  of  manufacturing  them  was  brought 
into  this  country  from  Germany.  Needles  were  first  made  in  England  about 
the  year  15G5,  by  Elias  Crawse  or  Krause,  a German,  who  settled  in  London. 
The  reputation  long  enjoyed  by  Whitechapel  needles,  points  out  the  particular 
locality  in  London  where  the  manufacture  was  carried  on.  The  principal 
needle  manufactories  are  now  at  Redditch  in  Worcestershire,  at  Hathersage  in 


92 


IMPLEMENTS. 


KNITTING  NEEDLES,  OR  PINS. 

Knitting  needles  are  manufactured  of  steel,  ivory,  boxwood,  and 
whalebone,  in  sizes  varying  from  that  of  a fine  sewing  needle  to 
three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  of  proportionate  lengths. 
Some  have  a very  small  ivory  ball  at  one  end  to  prevent  the 
work  from  slipping  off,  but  with  this  exception,  they  are  always 
pointed.  The  size  of  steel  knitting  needles  is  designated  by  their 
numbers,  which  vary  from  6 to  25,  and  are  determined  by  a 
filiere  or  gauge  ; but  as  all  writers  on  knitting  do  not  appear  to 
employ  the  same  gauge,  it  frequently  leads  to  error,  and  will  con- 
tinue to  do  so  until  there  be  some  general  standard. 

NETTING  NEEDLES  AND  MESHES. 

For  netting  purses,  and  other  small  articles,  steel  needles  and 
meshes  are  always  employed,  and  those  of  the  highest  finish  are 
to  be  preferred.  The  mesh  or  pin,  which  determines  the  size 
of  the  netting,  is  a plain  polished  piece  of  steel  wire  of  any 
suitable  diameter,  and  like  the  knitting-needles,  measured  by  a 
gauge.  The  needle  is  of  flattened  wire,  and  cut  into  a fork  of 
two  prongs  at  each  end,  the  ends  of  the  prongs  meeting  and 
forming  a blunt  point,  which  will  allow  of  it  being  passed 
either  end  foremost  through  a small  loop.  The  silk  is  wound 
upon  the  needle,  by  passing  it  alternately  between  the  prongs 
at  each  end,  so  that  the  turns  of  the  silk  may  be  parallel  to 
the  length  of  the  needle,  and  be  kept  on  it  by  the  forks. 

Derbyshire,  and  in  Birmingham  and  its  neighbourhood. — Bush  Lane  in  London 
seems  to  have  been  formerly  famous  for  very  small  needles  ; — “ And  now  they 
may  go  look  this  Bush  Lane  needle  in  a bottle  of  hay.” — Lenton's  Leas , c.  9. 


IMPLEMENTS. 


93 


The  excellence  of  the  needle  depends  upon  the  points  of  the 
prongs  being  true  and  close  together. 


CROCHET  AND  TAMBOUR  NEEDLES. 


Crochet  needles,  sometimes  called  Shepherds1  hooks , are  made 
of  steel,  ivory,  or  box-wood.  They  have  a hook  at  one  end 
similar  in  shape  to  the  barb  of  a fish-hook,  by  which  the  wool 
or  silk  is  caught  and  drawn  through  the  work.  These  in- 
struments are  to  be  procured  of  various  sizes,  but  their  excellence 
depends  more  on  the  proper  fashioning  of  the  hook,  than  on  the 
material  of  which  they  are  manufactured.  The  smaller  sizes, 

and  those  used  for  tambour  work,  must  necessarily  be  of  steel ; 
these  are  frequently  made  of  the  length  of  an  ordinary  sized 
sewing  needle,  that  they  may  be  fixed  into  a handle,  which,  by 
means  of  a small  screw,  is  capable  of  holding  needles  of  various 
sizes.  The  larger  steel  crochet  needles,  are  sometimes  made  with 
a fixed  ivory  or  ebony  handle, — others,  entirely  of  steel.  They 
are  generally  about  four  or  five  inches  in  length.  Ivory  needles  are 
also  made  of  various  sizes,  and  with  differently  formed  hooks,  accord- 
ing to  the  dimensions  of  the  thread  they  are  intended  to  carry. 

FILIERE. 

A filiere  or  gauge,  is  a steel  instrument  with  graduated  notches 
round  its  edges,  distinguished  by  different  figures.  It  is  used  by 
wire-drawers  for  ascertaining  the  sizes  of  their  wires,  and  is  ap- 
plied in  a similar  manner,  for  measuring  the  diameters  of  netting 
and  knitting  needles ; thus, — when  speaking  of  the  relative  size  of 
these  needles,  they  are  frequently  designated  by  their  correspond- 


94 


IMPLEMENTS. 


ing  numbers;  but,  as  has  been  before  observed,  there  appears  to 
be  no  universal  standard. 


We  do  not  acknowledge  as  an  embroidery  frame,  any  of  a less 
simple  construction  than  the  flat  or  four-piece  frame,  composed 
of  two  bars,  to  which  the  webbings  are  attached,  and  two  side 
laths,  with  holes  pierced  at  regular  distances  for  receiving  the 
pegs  to  keep  the  bars  in  their  right  position.  These  are  made 

of  various  sizes,  varying  from  four  inches  to  three  yards  in 
length,  and  are  proportionably  useful  for  very  small  pieces  of 
work, — when  they  may  be  held  in  the  hand,— or,  for  pieces  of 
the  greatest  magnitude,  when  their  size  and  weight  become  suf- 
ficient to  keep  them  steady,  placed  upon  trestles.  Large  frames 
are  useful  for  working  satin  or  velvet  where  it  does  not  admit  of 
being  rolled.  This  description  of  frame  is  the  least  expensive, 
being  formed  principally  of  common  mahogany,  cedar,  or  beech. 

The  knee,  or  table  frame,  has  a flat  piece  of  wood  forming  the 
stand,  whereon  two  upright  pieces  are  fixed  to  support  the  frame, 
which  can  be  adjusted  at  any  angle  required,  by  means  of  thumb- 
screws attached  to  the  joints.  These  frames  are  generally  made 


F'iliere . 


EMBROIDERY  FRAMES. 


IMPLEMENTS. 


95 


from  eight  to  twenty-seven  inches  in  the  webbing  ;*  they  are 
adapted  for  work  of  all  widths  within  these  limits,  and  of  any 
moderate  length,  where  it  will  not  injure  by  rolling  round  the  bars. 

The  standing  frame  consists  of  two  upright  pieces  with  feet 
placed  on  the  ground,  connected  together  by  a cross  bar  or 
stretcher ; these  support  the  frame,  which  is  fixed  on  the  top  in 
the  same  manner  as  that  already  described.  They  vary  in  size, 
from  twenty  inches  to  a yard  and  a quarter.  Frames  of  this 
kind  are  sometimes  made  wdth  toothed  wheels  and  other  contri- 
vances, for  rolling  and  unrolling  the  work  without  taking  it  out; 
but  they  are  apt  to  get  out  of  order,  and  are  more  clumsy 
and  less  suitable  for  ladies,  than  those  of  a more  simple  con- 
struction. Both  standing  and  table  frames  are  frequently  made 
of  the  finest  and  most  expensive  woods,  when  they  may  be 
rendered  most  elegant  pieces  of  furniture  for  the  boudoir.  The 
upright  frames  have  sometimes  baskets  attached  at  either  side, — 
at  once  convenient  and  ornamental. 


• Embroidery  frames  are  always  measured  by  the  length  of  their  webbings. 


96 


IMPLEMENTS. 


Embroidery  frames  require  to  be  well  made,  that  when  screwed 
together  they  may  be  perfectly  firm  and  square . When  of  a 

moderate  size,  those  in  which  the  side-laths  or  cross-bars  are 
formed  into  screws  are  preferable,  as  they  can  be  more  readily, 
and  with  greater  precision,  adjusted  to  the  required  width,  by 
means  of  the  nuts.  The  greatest  essential  in  a good  frame  is, 
that  the  cross-bars,  as  well  as  the  rollers  on  which  the  webbing 
is  fixed,  should  be  sufficiently  stout  to  prevent  its  twisting  or 
bending  when  the  work  is  tightly  stretched  in  it.* 


TAMBOUR  FRAMES. 


Tambour  frames,  whereon  the  material  is  stretched  like  the 
parchment  of  a drum — whence  their  name — are  now  seldom  em- 
ployed, although  formerly  much  used  when  tambour-work  was  the 
fashion.  They  are  formed  of  two  hoops,  covered  with  cloth  or 
baize,  the  material  being  stretched  on  the  inner,  and  kept  in  its 
place  by  the  outer  hoop,  tightened  by  means  of  a thumb-screw; 
it  is,  however,  impossible  to  secure  it  as  firmly  as  in  the  square 
embroidery  frame. 


SCREW  EMBROIDERY  FRAMES. 


These  are  sometimes  made  for  small  pieces  of  work,  to  hold  in 
the  hand.  They  consist  of  two  rollers  with  webbings,  and  two 
side  bars  in  the  form  of  screws.  By  having  an  inside  screw 
turned  in  the  holes  of  the  rollers,  neither  nuts  nor  pegs  are  re- 
quired. When  the  work  is  attached  to  the  webbings,  by  merely 
turning  the  side  bars  it  may  be  sufficiently  stretched.  The  con- 


* When  of  a very  large  size,  a moveable  centre  bar  or  stretcher  may  be 
found  useful. 


IMPLEMENTS. 


97 


struction  of  this  frame  is  similar  to  that  of  a purse  stretcher, 
but  it  has  no  recommendation  except  in  its  neat  appearance. 

d’oyley  and  shawl  frames. 


These  are  made  square  or  triangular,  large  or  small,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  purpose  for  which  they  are  intended.  Brass  pins 
are  fixed  at  equal  distances  in  a slanting  direction  on  the  top, 
round  which  the  wool  or  cotton  employed  in  making  OOyleys, 
or  other  articles,  is  to  be  wound. 

meshes  for  raised  work. 

Meshes  for  raised  work — generally  of  bone  or  boxwood— vary 
from  a sixteenth  to  two  or  three  inches  in  width,  and  larger  sizes  are 
occasionally  to  be  found.  They  are  used  for  regulating  the  length 
of  the  looped  stitches,  which  are  afterwards  to  be  divided ; they  also 
greatly  assist  in  rendering  the  work  both  tight  and  firm,  by  the 
resistance  they  offer.  Meshes  are  sometimes  made  with  a groove 
on  one  side,  as  a guide  for  the  scissors  to  pass  along  in  the  cut- 
ting of  the  loops. 


For  the  more  highly  finished  descriptions  of  raised  work,  a 

steel  mesh,  with  a cutting  edge  on  one  part  similar  to  the  an- 

10* 


98 


IMPLEMENTS. 


nexed  engraving,  will  be  found  the  most  convenient.  Its  use  will 
be  fully  described  when  speaking  of  raised  embroidery. 


PURSE  STRETCHERS. 


The  above  engraving  will  convey  a better  idea  of  this  little 
machine  than  any  we  are  capable  of  giving.  It  is  used  for 
stretching  knitted,  netted,  and  crochet  purses. 

The  purse,  when  finished,  before  the  ends  are  drawn  together, 
should  be  sewn  up  at  the  mouth,  and  passed  over  the  wooden 
cylinder,  as  represented  above;  it  should  then  be  slightly  damped, 
and  the  screws  tightened,  taking  care  not  to  strain  it  too  much. 
By  this  simple  process,  the  stitches  become  more  firmly  fixed  in 
their  relative  positions,  and  the  purse  assumes,  and  afterwards 
retains,  its  proper  shape. 


PURSE  MOULDS. 


The  above  engraving  represents  two  kinds  of  purse  moulds,  of 
wood  or  ivory,  on  which  short  purses  are  worked.  The  one 


IMPLEMENTS. 


99 


called  a moule  Turc , has  small  brass  pins  fixed  round  the  edges 
of  its  largest  circumference.  A purse  may  be  made  on  this  mould 
by  fixing  the  silk  by  a loop  over  one  peg,  and  twisting  the  silk 
separately  round  each  of  the  others, — the  silk  being  held  in  the 
right  hand.  When  this  first  row  is  done,  wind  the  silk  once 
again  round  the  peg  with  the  loop,  and  with  a steel  point  or 
needle  pass  the  first  stitch  over  the  second,  and  continue  the 
same  over  each  peg  as  each  successive  stitch  is  made,  and  so  on, 
row  after  row,  until  the  purse  becomes  of  a sufficient  length. 
The  work  as  it  proceeds  falls  into  the  hollow  of  the  mould. 
When  all  the  rows  are  finished,  draw  the  bottom  together,  and, 
as  each  loop  is  taken  off  the  pegs  at  the  top,  pass  a silk  through 
them,  which  will  prevent  their  unravelling,  and  strengthen  the 
purse  for  sewing  on  the  snap.  A purse  of  this  description  will 
take  a large  sized  skein  of  netting  silk: — it  may  be  mounted  either 
with  a snap  or  a dialled 

On  the  other  mould  or  cup,  a very  pretty  bourse  en  feston 
may  be  made,  either  with  two  coloured  silks,  or  silk  and  gold. 
Since  the  introduction  of  crochet,  however,  these  moulds  have  not 
been  much  used. 

CHAIN  MOULD. 


The  above  small  mould  is  for  making  neck  chains.  These  are 


* Diables,  or  purse  bars,  are  wires  of  steel,  gold,  or  silver,  with  ornament? 
at  the  ends,  over  which  a ring  is  passed  to  secure  the  mouth  of  the  purse  j the 
ring  is  attached  by  means  of  a chain. 


100 


IMPLEM  ENTS. 


to  be  made  with  middle-sized  netting  silk,  exactly  in  the  same 
manner  as  that  described  for  a purse  on  the  moule  Turc. 


FORK  FOR  A CHAIN. 


The  above  represents  an  ivory  fork,  used  for  making  neck 
chains,  which,  if  done  with  very  fine  silk,  perfectly  imitate  the 
small  French  hair  chains.  If  a coarse  silk  be  used,  a very  strong 
watch  guard  may  be  made. 


/ 


CHAPTER  XII 


.framing  toark. 


M All  sortes  of  workes,  almost  that  can  be  nam’d 
Here  are  directions  how  they  may  be  fram’d.” 

John  Taylor. 

REAT  care  and  nicety  are  required  in  dressing 
a frame ; — much  of  the  success  of  the  work,  and 
ease  in  its  execution,  depend  on  this  preliminary 
arrangement,  which,  from  it  not  seeming  of  im- 
portance, is  but  too  generally  neglected. 

FRAMING  CANVAS. 

Having  ascertained,  by  counting  or  by  measurement,  that  the 
canvas  corresponds  with  the  size  of  the  design,  in  order  that  the 
latter,  when  worked,  may  be  of  the  dimensions  desired,  turn  down 
the  canvas  about  half  an  inch,  and  having  herring-boned  it,  sew 
it  by  a thread  to  the  webbing  of  the  frame.  Soft  paper,  six  or 
eight  times  doubled,  should  be  smoothly  placed  round  the  bars, 
if  the  length  of  the  canvas  render  it  necessary  that  it  should  be 


102 


FRAMING  WORK. 


rolled,  that  part  only  being  left  extended  in  the  frame,  on  which 
the  work  is  to  be  commenced.  By  means  of  the  nuts  or  pegs,  it 
should  be  gradually  stretched,  and  the  selvedges  braced  to  the 
side-bars  with  fine  twine,  tightening  them  by  degrees  until  the 
canvas  is  strained  perfectly  tight  and  even  * It  is  of  great  advan- 
tage that  a small  length  only  should  be  stretched  at  one  time,  as 
the  work  becomes  less  exposed,  and  the  needle-woman  is  not  obliged 
to  reach  over  her  frame, — a position  both  fatiguing  and  inelegant. 
A short  time  will  suffice  to  change  the  position  of  the  work, 
winding  it  gradually  round  the  bars  as  it  proceeds,  and  if  this  be 
carefully  managed,  it  will  rarely  be  found  either  drawn  or  un- 
even, when  finished. 

It  is  advisable,  as  a general  rule,  that  canvas  work  should  be 
commenced  at  the  lower  part,  on  the  left  hand,  more  especially 
if  the  subject  be  one  where  a sky  is  to  be  introduced ; which, 
as  being  the  most  delicate,  should  always  remain  until  the  last. 
The  working  from  Berlin  patterns  being  rather  more  methodical 
than  painting,  it  will  be  found  that  the  stitch  is  truer  if  worked 
upwards  in  this  manner. 

FRAMING  CLOTH  AND  CANVAS. 

In  framing  these  two  materials  together  for  working  on  cloth  in 
cross  or  tent  stitch  over  canvas,  if  the  article  for  which  the  work 
is  intended  does  not  require  the  cloth  to  exceed  in  size  the  breadth 
of  the  canvas,  the  cloth  should  bo  cut  half  an  inch  smaller  each 
way,  as,  when  framed,  it  wTill  stretch  much  more  than  the  canvas. 


* The  advantage  of  the  side  bars  of  a frame  being  made  with  a screw  is 
here  evident,  as  the  canvas  can  be  finally  tightened  by  giving  each  nut  a turn 
or  two. 


FRAMING  WORK. 


103 


The  cloth  must  be  turned  down  at  the  edges,  and  tacked  to  the 
two  selvedges  of  the  canvas ; and  the  raw  edges  of  the  canvas 
and  cloth  turned  down  together,  and  then  tacked.  If  the  dimen- 
sions of  the  work  render  it  necessary  that  it  should  be  rolled,  it 
will  be  found  that,  from  the  turnings  in  at  the  side,  it  has 
acquired  a greater  thickness  in  these  parts,  and  it  will  be  requi- 
site therefore  to  put  wadding  or  soft  paper  on  the  bars,  to  thicken 
the  other  parts  equally  with  the  turnings  in.  By  this  means, 
the  cloth  and  canvas  may  be  evenly  stretched  together  without 
injury  to  the  former;  and  the  work  will  not  be  so  troublesome 
to  execute,  as  when  the  canvas  is  only  stretched  over  the  cloth 
after  it  is  framed. 

When  large  squares  or  lengths  of  cloth  are  required  to  be 
worked,  such  as  the  centre  of  a table-cover  or  an  ottoman,  it 
will  be  found  better  to  stretch  a piece  of  thin  holland  in  the 
frame,  and  tack  the  cloth  evenly  and  firmly  to  it,  round  the 
part  intended  to  be  worked.  If  for  embroidery,  this  will  be  found 
sufficient ; but  if  for  canvas  work,  where  the  threads  are  to  be 
drawn  out,  the  canvas  must  also  be  evenly  tacked  over  the  cloth. 
Here  a difficulty  may  appear  to  arise,  from  the  extra  thickness 
of  the  materials  through  which  the  needle  will  have  to  pass, 
but  this  is  not  so  formidable  as  we  should  at  first  be  led  to 
imagine, — the  firm  tension  of  the  holland  readily  admitting  the 
needle.  As  pieces  of  work  of  the  kind  we  have  mentioned  are 
of  considerable  magnitude,  and  occupy  time  in  their  execution, 
it  will  be  worth  while  to  pay  some  little  attention  to  the  ma- 
terials on  which  they  are  to  be  worked.  The  holland  should  be 
very  thin  and  glazed ; the  cloth  properly  damped,  so  as  to  deprive 
it  of  its  glossy  appearance,  and  render  it  softer;  the  canvas 
should  be  the  white  round-thread  French  canvas, — and  here  we 
may  again  observe  that  it  is  better  to  cut  the  threads  off  than 


104 


FRAMING  WORK. 


to  draw  them  out.  Admitting  there  is  no  objection  to  a large 
frame,  yet  the  cloth  is  more  or  less  spoiled  by  being  rolled,  or 
sewn  by  any  part  except  the  edges.  By  the  above  plan,  how- 
ever, a firm  frame  of  a yard  wide  will  be.  found  sufficient  to 
hold  a piece  of  cloth  two  yards  square,  or  even  five  yards  in 
length. 

FRAMING  VELVET. 

Velvets  must  be  sewn  to  the  webbings  of  the  frame  by  the 
selvedges,  and,  if  less  in  width  than  the  original  breadth  of  the 
material,  it  should  be  framed  in  the  same  direction  as  the  selv- 
edges run ; the  pile  being  more  easily  managed  when  in  this 
position.  The  sides  must  be  carefully  hemmed  before  bracing, 
to  prevent  unravelling.  When  the  length  of  the  velvet  exceeds 
that  of  the  frame,  it  is  better  to  stretch  thin  holland,  and  tack 
the  velvet  to  it  with  small  stitches  in  any  of  those  parts  in- 
tended to  be  covered  by  the  work;  the  velvet  may  then  lie 
uninjured  on  the  frame,  and  at  any  length  of  yards  worked  in  a 
frame,  three  feet  wide,  substituting  fresh  holland  as  the  work 
proceeds. 

If  the  velvet  is  to  be  embroidered  in  silk,  or  chenille,  it  will  not, 
generally  speaking,  require  any  other  material  at  the  back;  but 
if  gold  or  silver  are  to  be  employed,  or  the  work  is  very  elab- 
orate, the  velvet  must  be  strengthened  with  holland,  which  will 
also  make  it  firmer  and  more  pleasant  to  work  upon.  In  these 
instances,  it  will  be  found  advisable  to  frame  the  holland,  and  fix 
the  velvet,  by  carefully  pasting  or  tacking  it  in  those  parts  in- 
tended to  be  worked.  The  velvet  is  to  be  laid  on  the  holland, 
and  slightly  pressed,  but  so  as  to  avoid  injury  to  the  pile.  Before 
taking  embroidery  out  of  the  frame,  a little  paste  made  with  size, 
should  be  slightly  rubbed  with  the  finger  over  the  back  of  the  work. 


FRAMING  WORK. 


FRAMING  SATIN,  SILK,  LEATHER,  ETC. 

Satin,  silk,  cloth,  and  merino,  may  be  framed  in  the  same  way; 
it  is  not,  however,  necessary  to  use  holland  when  the  work  is  the 
simple  sprigging  of  a waistcoat,  the  embroidering  of  a bag,  hand- 
screen,  or  other  small  article. 

Crepe  should  be  laid  on  clear  book-muslin,  and  sewn  into  the 
frame  with  the  same  attention  that  cloth  requires.  When  the 
embroidery  is  done,  the  muslin  should  be  cut  close  away. 

Morocco  and  chamois  leather,  and  kid,  should  be  carefully  and 
flatly  laid  on  a piece  of  thin  white  holland,  and  tacked  down — 
the  holland  having  been  previously  framed  in  the  usual  way,  but 
there  should  not  be  any  tension  on  the  leather. 


The  above  engraving  accurately  represents  an  embroidery  frame 
with  a piece  of  work  properly  stretched  and  braced  in  it. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


Stitcljcs. 


“ Fine  Ferne -stitch,  Finny-stitch,  New-stitch,  and  Chain-stitch, 

Brave  Bred-stitch,  Fisher -stitch,  Irish-stitch,  and  Queen-stitch, 

The  Spanish-stitch,  Rosemary-stitch,  and  Mowse-stitch, 

The  smarting  Whip-stitch,  Back-stitch,  and  the  crosse-stitch , 

All  these  are  good,  and  these  we  must  allow, 

And  these  are  everywhere  in  practice  now. 

John  Taylor. 

IYE  stiches  are,  in  general,  employed  for  canvas 
work ; viz.  tent,  and  cross  stitch,  Gobelin  or 
tapestry  stitch,  Irish,  and  German  stitch.  Various 
others  might  be  enumerated,  but  they  are  all  more 
or  less  modifications  or  combinations  of  the  above. 

It  is  a difficult  task  clearly  to  describe  these  different  stitches, 
and  their  application  in  the  various  departments  of  decorative 
needlework.  There  is,  doubtless,  a right  and  a wrong  way  of 
doing  even  the  most  simple.  As  a preliminary,  it  must  be 
observed  that  it  is  requisite,  for  working  with  comfort  and  cor- 
rectness, to  have  the  canvas  the  right  way ; which  is,  it  should 
be  so  framed  that  the  selvedges  are  placed  on  the  sides  where  it 
is  braced.  The  commencement  of  almost  all  stitches  should  be 
by  bringing  the  needle  up  from  beneath  on  the  right,  and  pass- 


STITCHES. 


107 


mg  it  down  again  on  the  left:  this  may  be  considered  as  holding 
good  with  regard  to  all  stitches  which  do  not  require  crossing; 
but  in  working  Gross  stitch , it  should  be  done  by  bringing  the 
needle  up  on  the  left,  and  passing  it  down  on  the  right,  then 
up  again  on  the  right,  and  down  on  the  left,  to  finish  the  stitch. 
Too  great  attention  cannot  be  paid  to  these  simple  rules ; the 
wool,  by  this  means  will  always  be  to  the  left. 


TENT  STITCH. 


In  tent  stitch,  the  needle  is  brought  up  from  the  right,  and 
passed  down  on  the  left,  commencing  at  the  bottom  of  the  work, 
in  the  left-hand  corner.  The  stitches  better  accommodate  them- 
selves to  each  other  when  worked  upwards  in  this  position.  The 
wool  or  silk  should  properly  cover  the  threads  of  the  canvas ; 
they  should  be  used  either  single,  double,  or  treble,  according  as 
the  size  of  the  canvas  demands.  Regularity  in  this  stitch  will 
easily  be  acquired  by  a little  practice ; its  simplicity  is  such 
that  the  youngest  child  may  accomplish  it.  When  grounding  is 
to  be  executed  in  tent  stitch,  much  greater  care  will  be  found 
necessary  than  might  at  first . be  imagined,  as  both  the  ap- 
pearance and  durability  of  the  work  depend  on  its  being  done 
with  the  utmost  nicety.  In  fact,  it  is  more  difficult  to  work  a 
ground  with  a true  and  even  stitch  than  to  copy  a pattern 
however  elaborate. 

Grounding  is  more  easily  worked  in  straight  rows  from  left 
to  right,  and  from  right  to  left  alternately,  than  in  diagonal  lines, 
if  care  be  taken  to  reverse  the  stitch  in  each  row.  When  cor- 
rectly done,  the  back  of  the  work  should  present  an  uniform  ap- 


108 


STITCHES. 


pearance,  each  row  of  stitches  resembling  a twisted  cord.  Knots 
in  fastening  on  or  off  should  be  avoided ; it  is  best  to  draw  the 
wool  through  at  a little  distance  from  the  exact  spot,  and  cover 
it  with  the  succeeding  stitches.  The  fastening  on  from  the  same 
place  in  each  row  must  be  obviated  by  using  the  wool  or  silk 
in  needlefuls  of  different  lengths ; otherwise  a liney  appearance, 
which  it  will  be  impossible  to  get  rid  of,  will  be  produced  on 
the  face  of  the  work. 


CROSS  STITCH. 


Cross  stitch  is  worked  over  two  threads  in  a diagonal  direction 
each  way.  It  is  a double  stitch,  and  made,  first  by  bringing  the 
needle  up  on  the  left,  and  putting  it  down  on  the  right,  which 
forms  half  the  stitch  ; it  is  then  crossed,  by  bringing  the  needle 
up  again  on  the  right,  and  passing  it  down  on  the  left.  We 
would  advise  each  stitch  to  be  finished  before  another  is  com- 
menced, as  the  work  will  be  more  even,  than  if  it  were  half 
stitched  before  crossing, — a method  not  unfrequently  practised. 
Grounding  in  cross  stitch  should  be  done  in  alternate  rows 
backwards  and  forwards,  observing  the  same  rules  for  reversing 
the  stitches  as  in  tent  stitch. 

GOBELIN,  OR  TAPESTRY  STITCH. 


STITCHES. 


109 


This  stitch  is  worked  over  two  threads  of  the  canvas  in  height, 
and  one  in  breadth  ; but  when  Berlin  patterns  are  copied,  two 
stitches  in  width  must  be  made  for  each  square  of  the  design, 
which  bear  exactly  the  same  proportion  as  one  either  of  tent  or 
cross  stitch.  On  coarse  canvas,  Gobelin  stitch  is  decidedly  in- 
ferior to  either  tent  or  cross  stitch.  Its  effect  is  best  on  fine 
canvas,  where  it  has  the  advantage  over  cross  stitch,  of  a closer^ 
appearance  of  shading.  Figures,  flowers,  and  every  kind  of 
pattern,  may  be  worked  in  Gobelin  stitch,  but  it  is  certainly  more 
suitable  for  patterns  drawn  on  the  canvas,  than  for  count  work . 
Either  tapestry  or  cross  stitch  may  be  mixed  with  gold  braid  on 
canvas,  to  produce  a very  rich  brocaded  appearance.  The  gold 
braid  should  be  cut  in  the  requisite  lengths,  and  fastened  to  the 
canvas  at  either  end,  and  a Berlin  pattern  of  plain  damask  taken 
for  the  design.  The  ground  is  to  be  worked  either  in  cross  or 
tapestry  stitch  over  the  braid,  in  one  rich  colour,  leaving  the 
damask  part  of  the  pattern  in  the  gold.  Blue,  brown,  or  marron , 
form  pretty  contrasts  ; and,  for  wedding  presents,  white  and  gold. 


IRISH  STITCH. 


For  grounding,  Irish  stitch  may  frequently  be  used  in  the 
place  of  tent  or  cross  stitch,  as  it  takes  much  less  time  in  its 

execution.  It  is  the  best  stitch  for  chenille  work  on  canvas ; 

11*  ♦ 


110 


STITCHES. 


and  scrolls,  gems,  and  even  flowers,  may  be  prettily  worked  in  it. 
The  above  engraving  will  convey  a much  better  idea  of  this 
stitch  than  any  description  we  should  be  able  to  give. 


GERMAN  STITCH. 


German  stitch  is  exclusively  a grounding  stitch, — it  is  quicker 
done  than  either  tent  or  cross  stitch.  Patterns  worked  in  cross 
stitch,  may  be  prettily  grounded  in  German  stitch.  The  above 
engraving  accurately  represents  this  stitch. 

IMITATION  OF  LACE. 

Numerous  patterns  in  imitation  of  lace  have  been  lately  intro- 
duced, and  where  judgment  is  used  in  the  application  of  them, 
they  certainly  have  some  merit ; — the  best  are  principally  adapted 
for  small  articles  ; but  lace  and  canvas  work  being  somewhat  at 
variance  with  each  other,  it  must  be  doubtful  whether  they  have 
much  claim  to  good  taste.  The  ground  is  worked  in  various 
stitches  of  fine  silk,  the  pattern  on  it  being  in  cross  stitch  of 
thicker  silk  or  wool. 

VARIOUS  FANCY  STITCHES. 

These,  as  we  before  stated,  are  but  modifications  of  the  five 
stitches*  already  mentioned,  and  it  will  be  only  necessary  for  us 


STITCHES. 


Ill 


to  name  the  principal  recognised  old  English  stitches ; — to  attempt 
a description  of  them,  would  be  alike  tedious  and  Useless.  They 
are,  Feme  stitch,  feather  stitch,  basket  stitch,  mat  stitch,  bead 
stitch,  braid  stitch,  plait  stitch,  diamond  stitch,  square  stitch,  star 
stitch,  wove  Irish  stitch,  reverse  cross  stitch,  mosaic  flat  stitch, 
brick  stitch,  Venetian  stitch,  Peruvian  stitch,  Hungary  stitch, 
plaid  stitch ; — but  this  must  suffice.  Innumerable  are  the  stitches 
which  are  to  be  met  with  on  the  samplers  worked  for  sale,  both 
in  England  and  Germany,  and  numberless  the  names  applied  to 
them,  and  it  is  as  easy  to  invent  new  stitches,  as  it  is  to  invent 
new  names  for  them. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


ffimbroibsrg. 


“ Whether  her  needle  play’d  the  pencil’s  part, 

’Twas  plain  from  Pallas  she  deriv’d  her  art.” 

Ovid. 

“ In  a curious  brede  of  needle-work,  one  colour  falls  away  in  such  degrees, 
and  another  rises  so  insensibly,  that  we  see  the  variety  without  being  able  to 
distinguish  the  total  vanishing  of  the  one  from  the  first  appearance  of  the  other.” 

Addison. 

E are  indebted  to  the  luxury  and  magnificence 
of  the  nations  of  the  East,  for  the  invention  of 
embroidery, — an  art  that  has  not  inaptly  been 
termed  the  mother  of  painting,  its  discovery 
claiming  the  priority  by  many  centuries.  La 
more  modern  times,  it  has  been  called  the  humble  sister  of  the 
latter  art;  and  the  aim  of  the  needlewoman  has  been  to  imitate, 
as  closely  as  possible,  the  productions  of  the  pencil,  a labour  in 
which  she  has  been  assisted  by  some  of  the  most  celebrated 
masters,  many  of  whose  chef-d’ oeuvres  have  been  executed  for  the 
express  purpose  of  being  copied  in  needlework  or  tapestry. 


EMBROIDERY. 


113 


The  Greeks  gave  the  honour  of  the  invention  of  embroidery  to 
Minerva : # by  Pliny  it  has  been  assigned  to  the  Phrygians ; 
hence,  he  says,  the  Romans  called  embroiderers  “ Phrygiones ” 
and  embroidered  garments,  “ vestes  Phrygionice .”f  The  women 
of  Sidon,  before  the  Trojan  war,  were  especially  celebrated  for 
their  skill  in  this  art : and  Plomer  mentions  Helen  as  being  en- 
gaged in  embroidering  the  combats  of  the  Greeks  and  Trojans — 

“ An  ample  web  magnificent  she  wove, 

Inwrought  with  num’rous  conflicts  for  her  sake, 

Beneath  the  hand  of  Mars  endured  by  Greeks.” 

Andromache  also — 

“ She  in  her  chamber  at  the  palace  top, 

A splendid  texture  wrought,  on  either  side 
All  dazzling  bright  with  flowers  of  various  hues.” 


* It  is  possible  that  the  story  of  Procne,  daughter  of  Pandion,  king  of  Athens, 
who  informed  her  sister  Philomela  of  her  misfortunes  by  embroidering  them  on 
a veil,  is  fabulous;  but  be  this  as  it  may,  the  fable  is  of  remote  origin,  and 
tends  to  prove  the  antiquity  of  the  art.  Vide  Apollodorus , lib.  iii.  c.  14. 

t Lib.  viii.  c.  74.  “ Pictas  vestes  jam  apud  Homerum  fuisse,  unde  triumphales 

natae.  Acu  facere  id  Phryges  invenerunt,  ideoque  Phrygionise  appellatae  sunt. 
Aurum  intexere  in  eadem  Asia  invenit  Attalus  rex:  unde  nomen  Attalicis. 
Colores  diversos  picturae  intexere  Baoylon  maxime  celebravit,  et  nomen  imposuit.” 
We  have  been  tempted  to  give  the  original  words  of  this  author,  as  the  terms 
“ pictas  vestes,”  and  “ intexere,”  have  been  variously  translated.  In  the  Me- 
ncechmi  of  Plautus  (act  ii.  sc.  3,)  a young  woman,  desirous  of  sending  her 
mantle  to  be  embroidered,  says : “ Pallam  illam  ad  Phrygionem  ut  deferas,  ut 
reconcinnetur,  atque  ut  opera  addantur,  quae  volo.”  That  the  cloth  of  Attalus 
was  embroidered,  is  proved  by  a passage  of  Silius  Italicus  (lib.  xiv.  661): — 

“ Quaeque  Attalicis  variata  per  artem 
Aulaeis  scribuntur  acu.” 

And  from  the  following  lines  in  Martial  (lib.  viii.  ep.  28),  it  is  evident  that  the 
Babylonian  cloth  was  also  ornamented  with  embroidery: — 

u Non  ego  praetulerim  Babylonica  picta  superbe 
Texta,  Semiramia  quae  variantur  acu.” 


114 


EMBROIDERY. 


The  art  of  embroidery  was  greatly  practised  among  the  ancient 
Egyptians ; even  the  sails  of  some  of  their  ships  were  wrought 
with  fanciful  devices,  representing  the  phoenix,  flowers,  and  various 
emblems.* * * §  In  the  time  of  Moses,  Aholiab,  the  son  of  Ahisamach, 
of  the  tribe  of  Dan,  was  celebrated  as  “ a cunning  workman,” 
and  ds  an  embroiderer  in  blue,  in  purple,  in  scarlet,  and  in  fine 
linen,  f The  curtains  and  ornaments  of  the  Tabernacle,  and  the 
vestments  of  the  priests,  were  decorated  with  embroidery.  The 
prophet  Ezekiel,  reproaching  the  women  of  Israel  with  having 
abused  the  benefits  of  Providence,  after  mentioning  their  bracelets 
and  chains,  jewels  for  their  foreheads,  and  earrings,  and  their 
crowns,  still  farther  names  their  robes,  dyed  and  embroidered  of 
divers  colours.  J Attalus,  king  of  Pergamus,  is  said  by  Pliny, 
to  have  invented  the  art  of  embroidering  with  gold  thread. 

According  to  Diodorus  Siculus, § Zaleucus,  a disciple  of  Py- 
thagoras, and  a lawgiver  of  the  Locrians,  forbade  the  use  of 
embroidery,  except  to  courtesans:  and  Dionysius  Halicarnassus|| 
informs  us,  that  Tarquinius  Priscus,  who  first  distinguished  the 
monarch  and  senators  by  particular  robes  and  ornaments,  was  the 
first  Roman  king  who  wore  an  embroidered  garment. 

The  term  embroidery,  as  employed  in  the  writings  of  the  ancient 
historians,  has  reference  to  all  kinds  of  ornamental  work  done 
with  the  needle ; thus  comprehending  within  its  meaning  every 


* Cloth,  of  embroidered  linen,  appears  to  have  been  made  in  Egypt  expressly 

for  sails,  and  was  bought  by  the  Tyrians  for  that  purpose  (Ezekiel  xxvii.  7), 
but  its  use  was  confined  to  the  pleasure  boats  of  the  nobles,  or  of  the  king 
himself;  ordinary  sails  being  white.  We  are  informed  by  Pliny  (lib.  xxx.  c.  1), 
that  the  ship  in  which  Antony  and  Cleopatra  went  to  the  battle  of  Actium 
was  distinguished  from  the  rest  of  the  fleet  by  its  purple  sails,  which  were  the 
peculiar  privilege  of  the  admiral’s  vessel. 

t Exod.  xxv.  35.  t Ezekiel  xvi.  13. 

§ Lib.  iii.  c.  62.  II  Lib.  xii.  p.  299. 


EMBROIDERY. 


115 


description  of  decorative  needlework,  including  tapestry,  and  some 
descriptions  of  weaving.  At  the  present  day,  the  term  is  much 
more  limited,  relating  to  one  kind  of  needlework  only,  which, 
however,  embraces  an  almost  innumerable  variety,  both  as  to  the 
materials  employed,  and  the  mode  of  using  them.  In  the  ex 
tended  meaning  of  the  term,  therefore,  nations  and  savage  tribes 
unknown  to  the  ancients,  may  equally  claim  the  honour  of  a 
similar  invention,  as  most  of  them  have  a species  of  embroidery 
peculiarly  their  own.* 

The  Chinese  have  long  been  celebrated  for  the  beauty  of  their 
embroideries ; indeed,  it  has  been  doubted  whether  the  art  was 
not  originally  brought  into  Europe  from  them,  through  the  Persians. 
They  use  floss  and  twisted  silks,  also  the  bark  of  a tree  spun  into 
a fine  thread.!  The  drawing  of  their  embroideries  is  sometimes 
as  uncouth  as  that  of  their  paintings,  but  in  that  of  some  of 
their  flowers  (doubtless  copied  from  nature)  they  are  frequently 
even  botanically  correct;  and  their  works  are  not  more  to  be 
admired  for  their  remarkable  freshness  than  for  the  extreme  labour 
bestowed  upon  them.  Success,  as  gained  by  patient  application, 
is  nowhere  so  frequently  exemplified  as  in  China.  The  mere 
accomplishment  of  writing  a good  style,  is  the  result  only  of 
many  tedious  years  of  study  and  self-denial.  The  beauty  of  the 
written  character,  the  finished  graces  of  their  composition,  the 


* The  word  embroidery  is  derived  from  the  French  broderie  which  some  de- 
duce by  transposition  from  bordeur)  becaise  they  formerly  only  embroidered  the 
borders  of  their  stuffs,  whence  the  Latins  sometimes  called  embroiderers  limbu - 
larii.  According  to  Du  Cange,  they  anciently  wrote  aurobrustus , for  embroidered 
with  gold,  or  brustus  brodatus,  whence  the  French  word  broderie. 

t The  fine  muslins  made  at  Manilla,  with  threads  spun  from  tbe  pine-apple 
plant,  and  afterwards  so  richly  and  delicately  embroidered  with  the  same  mate- 
rial, are  well  known. 


116 


EMBROIDERY. 


excellence  of  their  silk  manufactures  and  embroidery,  the  wonders 
of  their  porcelain,  and  many  other  marvels  in  art  and  knowledge, 
are  the  natural  results  of  untiring  industry  and  perseverance.  A 
Chinese  uses  no  short  cuts,  resorts  to  no  compendious  methods 
for  abridging  labour : — he  is  not  without  ingenious  resources  to 
accomplish  an  end,  but  his  aim  does  not  seem  to  be  to  save  time. 

We  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Tradescant  Lay  for  the  following 
interesting  account  of  the  art  of  embroidery  as  at  present  prac- 
tised by  the  Chinese.  “ For  twenty-two  cash  or  tseen,”  he  says, 
“ I purchased  an  elegant  book,  filled  with  choice  subjects  of  the 
graphic  art,  as  patterns  for  the  use  of  the  young  needle-woman. 
She  is  assumed  to  be  poor,  and  hence  the  little  manual  is  priced 
at  about  one  penny  of  our  money.  It  has  a cover  of  a fair 
yellow,  studded  with  spangles  of  gold,  and  contains  between  two 
and  three  hundred  figures,  culled  from  the  varied  stores  of  nature 
and  art.  In  fact,  the  objects  are  so  well  selected  and  so  nu- 
merous, that  they  might  serve  as  illustrations  to  a small  encyclo- 
paedia. One  acquainted  with  Chinese  literature  and  natural  history, 
might  deliver  several  lectures  with  this  book  before  him.  The 
meadow,  the  grove,  the  brook,  the  antiquary’s  museum,  and  the 
pages  of  mythology,  with  the  adornments  of  the  house  and 
garden,  are  all  laid  under  contribution.  The  book  is  said  to  be 
for  the  use  of  the  person  who  belongs  to  the  green  window , which 
is  an  epithet  for  the  dwelling  of  a poor  woman:  while  the  red 
gallery  denotes  the  residence  of  a rich  female.  The  industrious 
poor  plies  her  task  near  the  green  lattice,  which  is  made  of 
earthenware,  and  lets  in  both  the  light  and  the  breath  of  heaven  ; 
while  the  rich  dame  leans  upon  the  vermil-tinted  balusters  of 
the  gaudy  verandah,  and  gazes  carelessly  at  the  sunbeams  as  they 
sparkle  among  the  flowers,  or  wooes  the  soft  breeze  which  agitates 
the  green  roof  of  the  Indian  fig-tree.  The  title-page  presents  us 


EMBROIDERY. 


117 


with  a venerable  man,  in  the  weeds  of  office,  holding  in  his  hand 
a scroll  with  this  motto,  c Heaven’s  magistrate  confers  wealth.’ 
Over  his  head  are  bats  disporting  among  the  clouds  ; the  emblems, 
I suppose,  of  wakefulness,  for  these  animals  are  on  the  alert,  while 
men  sleep.  £ Her  candle  goeth  not  out  by  night,’  is  what  Solomon 
tells  us  of  the  needle-woman,  whom  he  eulogizes  in  the  last  chapter 
of  Proverbs.  I once  saw  two  girls  at  this  work  in  the  village 
of  Mongha.  They  were  seated  upon  a low  stool,  and  extended 
their  legs  across  another  of  twice  the  height  of  their  seat.  In 
this  way  a support  was  provided  for  the  frame  on  which  the 
piece  to  be  embroidered  was  spread  forth.  Their  faces  wore  a 
sickly  hue,  which  was  owing,  perhaps,  to  close  confinement  and 
the  unnatural  position  in  which  they  were  obliged  to  sit.  The 
finest  specimens  of  embroidery  are,  as  far  as  my  observation  goes, 
done  by  men,  who  stand  while  at  work — a practice  which  these 
damsels  could  not  imitate,  as  their  feet  were  small.  They  were 
poor,  but  too  genteel,  in  their  parents’  idea,  to  do  the  drudgery 
of  the  humble  housewife,  and  so  their  feet  were  bandaged  and 
kept  from  growing  beyond  the  limits  of  gentility.  Their  looks 
were  not  likely  soon  to  attract  a lover,  and  hence  they  were 
compelled  to  tease  the  sampler  from  the  glistening  dawn  till  dewy 
eve.  Much  skill  and  labour  are  bestowed  on  the  embroidery  of 
a plaited  skirt  worn  by  ladies,  which,  with  my  partiality  for  what 
is  Chinese,  I think  without  .a  rival  for  beauty  as  an  article  of 
female  attire.  In  the  little  work  before  me,  several  patterns  are 
given  expressly  for  this  purpose.  A curious  purse  worn  in  the 
girdle  of  Chinese  gentlemen,  is  also  the  subject  of  much  of  this 
kind  of  elaboration.  Embroidery  and  figured  textures  were  gener- 
ally in  favour  with  the  ancients,  so  that  the  discovery  was 
thought  worthy  of  a superior  agency.  In  the  Old  Testament  we 
have  two  kinds,  the  maase  rokem , (opus  phrygionicnm ),  in  which 


1 18 


EMBROIDERY. 


the  figures  were  inserted  by  the  needle ; and  the  maase  choseb , 
(opus  plumarium ),  in  which  they  were  wrought  in  with  the  woof. 
The  Chinese  are  fond  of  retaining  what  is  old,  and  have  preserved 
both  these  arts  in  their  highest  state  of  perfection.”* 

The  beautiful  embroideries  on  muslin  with  cotton  by  the 
Indians,  are  well  known.  Besides  these,  says  M.  de  St.  Aubin, 
“ ils  emploient  sur  gaze,  des  joncs,  cuirasses  d’insectes,  ongles 
et  griffes  d’animaux,  des  noyaux  et  fruits  secs,  et  surtout  des 
plumes  d’oiseaux : ils  entremelent  les  couleurs  sans  harmonie 
comme  sans  gout:  ce  n’est  qu’une  espece  de  mosaique  bizarre,  qui 
n’annonce  aucune  intention,  et  ne  represente  aucun  objet — 
a description  of  embroidery  which  we  should  not  be  tempted  to 
imitate. 

The  embroidery  practised  by  the  Canadian  women  is  much 
more  simple  and  pleasing : they  work  “ avec  leurs  cheveux  et 

autres  poils  d’animaux  : elles  represented  assez  bien  les  rami- 
fications des  agates  herborisees,  et  de  plusieurs  plantes  : elles 

insinuent  dans  leurs  ouvrages  des  peaux  de  serpents  coupees 
par  lanieres,  des  morceaux  de  fourrure  patiemment  raccordes.” 

According  to  M.  de  Busson,  the  negresses  of  Senegal,  before 
their  marriage,  embroider  the  skins  of  various  beasts,  repre- 
senting figures,  flowers,  and  animals,  in  every  variety  of  colour. 

The  Georgians,  and  particularly  the  Turkish  women,  are 
renowned  for  their  embroideries  on  the  lightest  and  most  delicate 
materials,  such  as  crepe  and  gauze,  which  they  ornament  with 
gold  thread  in  a manner  unequalled.  Their  embroideries  on 
morocco  leather  have  long  been  esteemed,  on  which  they  work 
the  smallest  objects  in  gold  passing , without  fraying  the  thread, 
in  a way  we  cannot  imitate.  According  to  M.  Savary,  they 


* The  Chinese  as  they  are. 


EMBROIDERY. 


119 


formerly  often  ornamented  their  embroidery  with  pieces  of  money, 
the  value  of  which  they  did  not  appear  to  understand  : a 

circumstance,  however,  which  the  Genoese  merchants,  who  had  a 
considerable  trade  in  the  Levant,  turned  greatly  to  their  advantage, 
as  valuable  and  interesting  coins  and  medals  were  frequently  found 
in  the  old  garments  in  which  they  sometimes  trafficked.  Besides 
the  Turks,  the  Greek  women  of  the  present  day,  and  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  islands  of  the  Levant,  are  still  celebrated  for  their 
embroidery,  principally  of  gold  and  silver.  The  women  of  Thera- 
pia  on  the  Bosphorus  excel  in  a most  beautiful  description  of 
work ; it  can  scarcely,  however,  be  termed  embroidery,  being  rather 
a species  of  exquisitely  fine  netting.  They  represent  flowers  in 
relief,  every  petal  of  which  is  worked  with  the  utmost  exactness. 
These  extraordinary  productions  of  the  needle,  unfortunately  but 
little  known  in  this  country,  cannot  be  sufficiently  admired  for 
their  extreme  delicacy  and  elaborateness. 

In  the  last  and  preceding  centuries,  when  embroidery,  as  an 
article  of  dress  both  for  men  and  women,  was  an  object  of  con- 
siderable importance,  the  Germans,  but  more  particularly  those  of 
Vienna,  disputed  the  palm  of  excellence  with  the  French.  At  the 
same  period,  Milan  and  Venice  were  also  celebrated  for  their 
embroidery ; but  the  prices  were  so  excessive,  that,  according  to 
Lamarre,  its  use  was  forbidden  by  sumptuary  laws. 

The  art  of  embroidery  seems  to  have  attained  a higher  degree 
of  perfection  in  France,  than  in  any  other  country  ; — it  is  not 
however,  so  much  practised  at  the  present  day.  Embroiderers 
formerly  formed  a great  portion  of  the  working  population  of 
the  largest  towns  ; laws  were  specially  framed  for  their  pro- 
tection, some  of  which  would  astonish  the  work-people  of  the 
present  day.  They  were  formed  into  a company  as  early  as 
1272,  by  Etienne  Boileau.  Prevot  de  Paris,  under  their  respective 


120 


EMBROIDERY. 


names  of  K Brodeurs,  Decoupeurs,  Egratigneurs,  Chasubiters — 
their  last  statutes  were  framed  in  1719. 

In  Saxony,  embroidery  on  fine  muslin  and  cambric  has  been 
carried  to  great  perfection.  In  the  neighbourhood  of  Eibenstock, 
and  the  Erzgebirge,  much  of  the  tambour  work  is  done  ; this 
is  generally  sold  at  the  Leipzig  fairs,  where  it  is  bought  by  the 
Russian  and  West  Indian  merchants  ; great  quantities  are  also 
exported  to  Persia.  At  Plauen,  in  the  same  neighbourhood 
(celebrated  for  its  manufactures  in  linen,  cotton,  and  muslin), 
much  figured  lace  is  also  worked,  which  may  be  met  with  at 
the  shops  in  Dresden.  The  embroideries  of  Nancy  and  Paris 
of  this  description,  have  of  late  years  attained  great  excellence, 
and  are  much  sought  after. 

With  this  brief  sketch  of  the  history  of  embroidery,  we  shall 
now  proceed  more  particularly  to  mention  in  what  the  art  consists 
and  the  various  methods  of  practising  it,  as  pursued  at  the  pre- 
sent day. 

Embroidery  is  the  art  of  adding  to  the  surface  of  woven 
textures,  a representation  of  any  object  we  wish  to  depict,  through 
the  medium  of  the  needle,  threaded  with  the  material  in  which 
the  work  is  to  be  executed.  This  may  be  effected  by  various 
methods,  and  on  most  descriptions  of  fabrics.  It  will  be  our  en- 
deavour to  describe  separately  the  different  kinds  of  work  in  this 
department,  although  we  greatly  fear  our  want  of  skill  adequately 
to  convey  the  ideas  and  instruction  we  desire  to  communicate. 

shaded  embroidery. 

“ Here  the  needle  plies  its  busy  task, 

The  pattern  grows  ; the  well-depicted  flow’r, 

Wrought  patiently  into  the  snowy  lawn, 


EMBROIDERY. 


121 


Unfolds  its  bosom  ; buds,  and  leaves,  and  sprigs, 

And  curling  tendrils,  gracefully  dispos’d, 

Follow  the  nimble  finger  of  the  fair : 

A wreath,  that  cannot  fade,  of  flow’rs  that  blow 
With  most  success  when  all  besides  decay.” 

Cowper. 

Shaded  embroidery  is  the  most  elegant,  the  most  imitative,  and 
the  most  unlimited  in  its  capabilities, — aptly  portraying  and  ri- 
valling the  productions  of  the  painter,  whether  for  historical 
subjects,  landscapes,  portraits,  nature’s  ever-varying  flowers,  or  the 
Moorish  arabesque.*  It  may  also  be  termed  the  easiest,  although 
the  least  mechanical,  being  less  subject  to  rule  than  any  other,  as 
the  most  beautiful  effects  are  often  produced,  where  there  appears 
to  have  been  a total  indifference,  or  ignorance,  of  any  attempt  at 
a regular  embroidery  stitch.  We  trust,  nevertheless,  that  the 
following  observations  may  guide,  and  be  of  some  use  to  those 
who  wish  to  commence  this  species  of  work. 

The  frame  being  properly  dressed  (see  chap.  XII)  with  the 
material,  upon  which  the  pattern  has  been  previously  traced  and 
shaded,  attentively  observe  the  position  of  the  flowers,  or  what- 
ever the  subject  may  be,  and  determine  the  surfaces  on  which  the 
lights  would  naturally  fall  : this  is  more  essential,  before 

commencing  the  work,  if  the  intention  be  to  embroider  as  taste 
may  direct,  and  without  copying  with  a coloured  drawing.  The 
right  hand  should  always  be  above  the  frame,  the  left  beneath  • 
and  the  rule,  if  any  exists,  other  than  what  convenience  dictates, 


* The  arabesque,  or  moresque,  is  a style  of  pattern  peculiarly  adapted  for 
needlework,  and  was  formerly  much  introduced  into  pieces  of  Gobelin  tapes- 
try, from  the  designs  of  Berin,  Gillot,  and  Watteau.  This  description  of 
ornament  originated  with  the  Arabians  and  Moors,  who  were  prohibited  by 
their  religion  from  using  human  and  animal  representations.  Many  of  the 
beautiful  paintings  on  the  walls  of  the  Alhambra  have  furnished  designs  for 
needlework. 


12* 


122 


EMBROIDERY. 


is  always  to  draw  the  needle  upward  from  the  right,  and  finish  the 
stitch  by  putting  it  down  to  the  left.  It  is  better  to  commence 
with  the  smaller  parts,  such,  for  instance,  as  the  stems,  buds,  and 
leaves,  in  a group  of  flowers  : and  the  first  care  and  attention 
should  be  bestowed  on  the  obtaining  and  preserving  a neat  and 
clear  outline.  This,  it  will  quickly  be  perceived,  is  essential,  both 
to  the  perfection  of  the  design,  and  to  the  execution  of  the  work. 

The  edges  and  rounder  parts,  both  of  the  leaves  and  petals  of 
flowers,  embrace  more  surface,  and  are  generally  worked  with  the 
palest  tints,  as  they  naturally  receive  the  light  first,  and  more 
particularly  attract  the  eye.  In  order  properly  to  blend  the 
shadows,  as  in  painting,  the  stitches  should  be  of  different  lengths  ; 
and  it  is  generally  easier  to  put  in  the  next  colour,  by  bringing 
the  needle  up  to  the  left,  and  putting  it  in  again  to  the  right, 
finding  with  tact  the  best  hiding  place  for  the  blending  shade. 
When  one  half  of  the  leaf  is  done,  commence  and  work  the  other 
in  the  same  manner,  and  finish  by  veining  it  according  to  nature. 
When  the  leaves  are  all  worked,  the  flowers  should  be  done  in  a 
similar  manner.  The  centres  of  many  full-blown  flowers,  such  as 
dahlias  and  roses,  are  sometimes  represented  by  what  is  termed 
French  knotting:  this  is  done  by  forming  a loop  round  the  needle 
with  the  silk,  which  should  be  tightly  drawn  round  it  as  it  is 
passed  from  the  upper  to  the  under  side  of  the  work:  it  is  better 
to  begin  with  the  centre  knot,  as  a more  perfect  round  can  be 
formed  than  if  commenced  on  the  outer  circle.  The  veining  of 
the  leaves,  and  the  small  stems,  are  formed  by  making  a stitch 
about  the  sixteenth  of  an  inch  long,  then,  in  the  next  stitch, 
putting  the  needle  half-way  back  into  the  preceding  one,  and 
working  it  the  same  length  as  the  first,  forming  a kind  of  finely 
twisted  cord  ; this  demands  great  neatness  in  its  execution,  but 
it  gives,  if  properly  done,  the  best  finish  to  the  work. 


EMBROIDERY. 


123 


The  stitches,  in  this  description  of  embroidery,  should  be  made 
as  long  as  possible,  where  the  work  will  admit  of  their  being 
so,  as  the  brilliancy  of  the  silk  is  destroyed  by  crowded  and 
short  stitches.  It  is  advisable,  as  much  as  possible,  to  avoid 
touching  the  silk  by  drawing  it  through  the  fingers  when  working. 
All  flowers  of  the  same  kind  should  not  be  done  with  the  same 
shades  of  colour  : thus,  suppose  there  are  three  white  flowers  of 
the  same  description,  on  the  same  spot,  and  that  eight  shades  of 
silk  are  required  properly  to  embroider  them  ; — for  one,  a greater 
portion  of  the  five  lightest  tints  would  be  used  ; in  the  next,  the 
middle  shades  might  predominate  ; and,  in  the  third,  a greater 
quantity  of  the  dark,  depending  of  course  on  their  position,  and 
the  skill  of  the  needlewoman.  In  shading,  five  gradations  ol 
tint  may  usually  be  considered  a sufficient  number  ; but  more  or 
less  may  be  requisite.  The  veining  of  the  leaves  may  be  done 
either  with  light  or  dark  shades,  according  as  the  light  falls,  and 
nature  dictates,  or  as  the  colours  demand  for  effect. 

Historical  subjects,  landscapes,  and  portraits,  are  best  worked 
with  wool,  as  greater  varieties  of  neutral  tints  can  be  more  readily 
procured;  whilst  the  brighter,  smaller,  and  more  fanciful  designs, 
can  be  successfully  executed  with  silks.  A mixture  of  these  two 
materials,  should  always  be  avoided,  when  an  endeavour  is  made 
to  copy  nature. 

German  and  English  wools,  are  both  equally  applicable  for  the 
purposes  of  embroidery : but,  where  a variety  of  shades  are  re- 
quired, the  former  is  of  course  to  be  preferred.  Worsted  and 
crewels  were  formerly  much  used, — the  magnificent  works  of  Miss 
Linwood  are  all  done  with  these  materials.  When  wool  is  used, 
the  needle  should  be  long-eyed,  and  threaded,  by  doubling  the 
wool  into  a loop  at  one  end,  and  inserting  it  into  the  eye  of  the 
needle.  Embroidery  with  wool  may  be  executed  as  beautifully  and 


124 


EMBROIDERY. 


as  minutely  as  with  silk ; it  may  also  be  done,  to  produce  a good 
effect,  by  a much  coarser  and  less  delicate  mode  of  working,  as 
applicable  for  the  bangings  of  windows,  and  beds,  table-covers,  and 
other  large  pieces  of  needlework  for  furniture. 

For  shaded  embroidery,  mitorse,  Dacca,  and  floss  silks  are  all 
used.  For  some  fine  descriptions  of  work,  netting  and  dram  silks 
are  preferred.  The  French  and  Chinese,  whose  embroideries  in 
silk  far  surpass  those  of  the  English,  generally  employ  mitorse. 
The  double  embroidery  done  in  China,  with  this  material,  is  too 
well  known  to  need  description.  Chenille  may  likewise  be  em- 
ployed, but  this  forms  a description  of  work  which  we  shall  have 
to  describe  elsewhere. 

It  is  unnecessary  for  us  to  instance  the  almost  innumerable 
variety  of  purposes  to  which  this  description  of  embroidery  may 
be  applied.  To  whatever  end  needlework  has  been,  or  is  likely 
to  be  designed,  it  is  equally  suited ; although,  since  the  intro- 
duction of  Berlin  patterns,  it  has  not  been  sought  after  to  the 
same  extent  as  formerly; — but  needlework,  in  common  with  other 
matters,  is  subject  to  the  sway  of  fashion. 

FRENCH,  OR  FLAT  EMBROIDERY. 

This  species  of  embroidery  is  done  without  shading,  the  stitches 
lying  smoothly  in  a diagonal  direction  close  to  each  other,  and 
little  or  no  attention  to  light  and  shade  being  necessary.  It  is 
often  executed  with  beautiful  effect  in  one  colour;  and,  for  some 
purposes,  it  may  be  enriched  by  the  additions  of  gold  or  silver, 
in  the  form  of  a cord,  round  the  edges.  The  French  excel  in 
this  kind  of  work ; it  is  also  done  very  beautifully,  and  at  a 
surprisingly  small  expense,  in  Scotland,  for  ladies’  dresses  and 
other  articles.  Its  excellence  is  best  displayed  when  worked  with 


EMBROIDERY. 


125 


mi  torse  silk;  it  is  then,  also,  the  most  durable,  not  fraying  in  the 
wear,  or  so  quickly  losing  its  glossy  appearance  as  when  done 
with  floss  or  Dacca  silk.  It  is  also  very  rich  when  worked  with 
wool.  When  an  imitation  of  gold  is  desired,  netting  silk  of  the 
proper  colour  may  be  advantageously  employed.  From  the  annexed 
engraving  some  idea  of  the  direction  of  the  stitches  may  be  formed. 


Flat  embroidery  is  suitable  for  articles  of  furniture  and  dress, 
and  an  almost  endless  variety  of  small  ornamental  works, — such 
as  bags,  folios,  sachets,  slippers,  hand-screens,  note  and  cigar 
cases,  &c. 


EMBROIDERY  IN  CHENILLE. 

Chenille  may  be  employed  for  almost  every  description  of  em- 
broidery,— whether  shaded,  flat,  or  raised ; it  may  also  be  worked 
on  a variety  of  materials,  but  those  which  possess  a smooth  and 
glossy  surface,  best  contrast  with  its  velvet-like  appearance.  Che- 
nille may  be  used  for  embroidering  on  canvas,  more  particularly 
Berlin  canvas:  when  it  is  well  calculated  for  cheval,  and  pole- 
screens,  as  well  as  hand-screens.  It  is  frequently  used  on  wire 
canvas,  but  the  wire  frays  the  chenille  too  much  in  the  working, 
and  renders  it  poor  when  finished.  When  working  with  chenille 
on  canvas,  a needle  with  a round  eye  may  be  used,  as  a thick 
needle  will  pass  through  the  interstices  of  the  canvas  without 
injuring  it;  but,  if  on  a closer  material,  such  as  satin,  for  instance, 
a long-eyed  needle  is  better,  in  order  to  avoid  injury,  by  making 
too  large  a hole. 


126 


EMBROIDERY. 


Chenille  being  an  expensive  material,  the  study  of  a little 
economy  in  the  mode  of  using  it,  may  not  be  amiss.  The  waste 
at  the  back  of  the  work  should  be  avoided  as  much  as  possible: 
— this  may  be  done,  by  bringing  the  needle  close  up  to  the  last 
stitch,  and  not  crossing  it  at  the  back.  It  is  easy  to  measure 
or  guess  the  length  of  the  needleful  requisite  for  working  each 
particular  part,  and  to  cut  it  as  short  as  possible,  to  prevent 
the  using  of  the  same  portion  again,  and  also  to  draw  a very 
short  piece  through  the  eye  of  the  needle.  The  necessity  of  making 
knots  in  fastening  on  may  be  obviated,  by  working  a small 
stitch  or  two  on  the  part  intended  to  be  covered.  In  shaded 
embroidery,  matting  the  stitches  too  closely  together  should  be 
avoided,  or  the  veloute  appearance  of  the  chenille  will  be  de- 
stroyed. 

In  embroidering  with  chenille,  the  shades  will  be  required  to  be 
much  closer  than  with  silk  ; six  gradations  of  shade,  at  least, 
should  be  used.  In  flat  embroidery,  the  stitches  should  be  regular, 
but  not  closer  than  will  admit  of  the  chenille  lying  roundly  on 
the  surface.  In  fancy  patterns,  it  is  pretty  when  edged,  or 
mixed,  with  gold.  Small  chenille,  called  by  the  French  chenille 
a broder , is  the  kind  usually  employed  for  embroidery,  but  for 
coarse  canvas  work  there  is  a larger  size. 

Chenille  is  best  adapted  for  working  such  articles  as  are  not 
subject  to  pressure,  or  liable  to  much  exposure  to  dust,  from 
which  it  would  be  difficult  to  free  it.  For  work  protected  by 
glass,  it  is  beautiful,  but  it  requires  extreme  care  in  the  mounting. 

There  is  another  method  of  using  chenille,  which  was  formerly 
much  the  fashion,  where  effect  only  at  a distance  was  required. 
The  chenille,  instead  of  being  worked  on  with  a needle,  as  in 
common  embroidery,  was  only  laid  on  the  surface  of  the  material 
and  securely  tacked  down  by  a fine  waxed  silk  of  the  same 


EMBROIDERY. 


127 


colour,  the  ends  of  the  chenille  being  carried  through  with  a 
needle  to  the  back  of  the  work. 

EMBROIDERING  COATS  OF  ARMS. 

Heraldic  displays  may  be  embroidered  in  wool,  silk,  gold,  and 
silver,  but  the  stitches  should  always  be  placed  in  the  direction 
of  the  lines  by  which  the  herald  represents  his  colours.  For 
instance, — in  azure , the  stitches  should  be  laid  parallel  across  the 
escutcheon  ; in  gules , perpendicular ; in  vert , diagonally,  from  left 
to  right ; in  purpure , diagonally  from  right  to  left  ; in  sable , the 
position  of  the  stitches  is  optional,  provided  they  represent  the 
field  as  formed  of  small  close  squares.  The  partition  lines, 
whether  horizontal,  embattled,  nebuly,  rayonne,  &c.,  as  also  those 
which  divide  the  quarterings  of  the  shield,  may  be  formed  by  a 
line,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  veining  of  leaves  of  flowers,  or, 
with  greater  precision  and  effect,  by  using  a round  silk  gimp, 
which  must  be  neatly  attached  by  means  of  a fine  sewing  silk  • 
the  size  of  the  gimp  depending,  of  course,  on  the  magnitude  of 
the  coat  of  arms.  When  objects  in  heraldry  are  blazoned  proper , 
they  may  be  shaded  as  in  other  kinds  of  embroidery,  as  may 
also,  in  general,  the  supporters,  the  lambrequin  or  mantling,  the 
badges,  collars,  scrollage,  and  other  ornamental  devices.  Mottos 
may  be  worked  in  embroidery,  like  the  partition  lines,  over  that 
part  which  has  already  been  worked. 

Coats  of  arms  and  crests  may  be  executed  entirely  in  fine  black 
silk,  and  with  perfect  effect,  by  paying  attention  to  the  position 
of  the  stitches  ; allowing  the  ground  to  be  visible,  as  displayed 
in  the  old  embroidery  termed  print  work.  They  may  be  worked 
in  this  manner  for  the  insides  of  covers  of  valuable  books  and 
albums. 


128 


EMBROIDERY. 


RAISED  EMBROIDERY. 

This  kind  of  embroidery  is  extremely  pretty  in  fancy  pieces 
for  working  animals,  birds,  shells,  fruit,  or  flowers  ; it  may  be 
done  with  either  silk,  wool,  or  chenille.  The  pattern  must  be 
traced,  and  the  material  framed,  as  usual  ; then  commence  a 
foundation  for  the  raised  parts  by  working,  with  coarse  cotton  or 
wool,  layer  upon  layer,  in  long  stitches,  until  the  outline  of  the 
design  is  closely  approached,  paying  attention  at  the  same  time  to 
the  shape  of  the  object.  When  this  is  finished,  begin  the  em- 
broidery over  it  with  a long  needle,  and  shade  in  the  usual 
manner,  passing  the  needle  through  the  whole  substance  of  the 
foundation,  which  will  the  more  easily  be  done  should  it  be 
formed  of  wool.  Fruit  and  shells  may  be  most  admirably  imi- 
tated by  this  mode  of  embroidery ; but  it  is  not  always  successfully 
accomplished  by  ladies,  as,  besides  taste  and  skill,  it  requires  a 
certain  knack , which  few  but  the  experienced  embroiderer  can 
attain.  Needlework,  as  prepared  for  ladies,  has  generally  the 
objects  thus  represented  ready  worked,  the  other  portions  of  the 
design  being  left  for  them  to  execute.  This  kind  of  raised  em- 
broidery may  be  done  on  canvas  ; it  may  also  be  worked  on 
holland,  and  afterwards  transferred.  Wool  and  chenille  may  both 
be  used,  but  it  can  be  done  with  the  greatest  perfection  with  silk. 
Floss,  Dacca,  and  mitorse  silks,  are  all  suitable,  appropriating 
them  according  as  they  resemble  the  objects  to  be  imitated  ; for 
some  descriptions  of  shells,  mitorse  would  be  the  best,  for  others 
floss  silk. 

Flowers,  such  as  roses,  on  a very  reduced  scale,  for  sprig  work, 
may  be  beautifully  and  easily  executed  in  this  description  of 
embroidery  : floss  or  Dacca  silk  should  be  used.  A small  round 


EMBROIDERY. 


129 


must  first  be  slightly  raised  with  cotton ; then  commence  the 
centre  of  the  rose  with  two  or  three  small  French  knots,  and 
form  the  flower  by  working  round  them  in  small  stitches,  keeping 
the  middle  of  the  darkest  shades  ; the  stitches  should  partly  cross 
each  other,  so  as  to  give  the  appearance  of  one  leaf  over  another. 
If  skilfully  done,  the  centre  of  the  flower  should  have  the  sunken 
appearance  which  it  has  in  nature.  If  worked  too  large,  their 
beauty  and  effect  will  be  lost.  Four  shades  of  silk  will  be 
found  sufficient. 

RAISED  CUT  EMBROIDERY  IN  WOOL. 

Raised  work  of  this  kind  has  been  brought  to  great  perfection, 
particularly  in  France,  both  for  flowers,  birds,  and  animals.  A 
peculiar  kind  of  mesh,  made  of  steel,  should  be  used,  which  serves 
the  double  purpose  of  mesh  and  knife,  as  by  merely  drawing  it 
through  the  looped  stitches  it  cuts  them  more  regularly  than  could 
be  done  - with  the  scissors. 


The  stitch  employed  is  the  most  essential  part  of  the  work,  as 
it  must  neither  unravel,  nor  pick  out  when  finished.  The  design 
should  be  traced  on  the  cloth  or  other  material,  which  is  to  be 
firmly  framed  with  holland  at  the  back;  a coloured  drawing  will 
be  required  for  a pattern,  as  the  work  does  not  present  its  proper 
appearance  whilst  in  progress. 

The  mode  of  working  is  difficult  to  express  in  writing: — with 
the  steel  mesh  on  the  surface  of  the  material,  pass  the  needle, 
threaded  with  the  proper  wool,  from  the  upper  to  the  under  side, 
leaving  an  end  to  form  part  of  the  stitch;  bring  the  needle  up 


130 


EMBROIDERY. 


again  on  the  farther  side  of  the  mesh,  and  crossing  the  wool  over 
the  mesh,  put  the  needle  in  again  to  the  left  of  the  stitch  first 
made,  then,  bring  the  needle  up  on  the  further  side  of  the  mesh 
as  before,  and  repeat  the  stitch,  taking  care  that  the  needle  is 
always  put  in  on  the  upper  side,  to  the  left  of  the  preceding  stitch. 
One  row  of  stitches  must  be  completed,  before  another  is  com- 
menced, fastening  off,  and  changing  the  colours  of  the  wool,  ac- 
cording to  the  design.  It  must  be  worked  as  regularly  and  as 
closely  as  possible,  in  parallel  lines,  forming  a kind  of  chain  stitch 
at  the  back.  When  the  row  is  finished,  draw  the  mesh  through, 
so  as  to  cut  the  loops  across.  It  will  be  found  more  convenient 
to  employ  two  meshes,  drawing  them  out  alternately  as  the  work 
proceeds.  When  the  whole  of  the  object  is  finished  working,  it 
must  be  thoroughly  combed,  so  as  entirely  to  separate  the  fibres 
of  the  wool;  it  will  then  most  probably  appear  an  unshapen 
mass,  but  this  will  be  of  no  consequence,  as  the  scissors  must 
then  take  their  part  towards  the  completion  of  the  design.  These 
should  be  very  sharp  and  pointed,  and  rather  large,  but  otherwise, 
no  particular  kind  is  required.  Commence  by  gradually  shearing 
the  centre,  forming  an  even  surface,  and  when  the  'peluche  is  a 
little  reduced,  the  distinct  colouring,  with  something  of  the  natural 
form,  will  appear:  the  shearing  must  then  be  slowly  persevered 
in,  cutting  the  edges  and  other  parts  where  a less  raised  appear- 
ance is  required,  until  the  whole  assumes  the  perfectly  smooth 
and  rounded  form  desired.  In  animals  and  birds,  small  glass  eyes 
of  suitable  size,  may  be  inserted, — these,  partly  buried  in  the 
wool,  and  not  too  prominent,  produce  a pleasing  effect. 

This  description  of  work  is  best  adapted  to  succeed  on  cloth ; 
if  properly  done,  it  should  be  extremely  firm  and  solid,  so  that 
if  trodden  upon,  it  will  be  but  little  injured.  It  is  also  very 
durable.  Small  birds  in  raised  work,  for  hand  screens,  on  white 


EMBROIDERY. 


131 


watered  silk,  have  a very  pleasing  and  pretty  appearance,  and  may 
be  easily  executed.  Raised  work  is  adapted  for  a variety  of 
purposes,  but  for  chairs  and  pillows  it  is  objectionable,  on  account 
of  its  hard  uneven  surface. 

The  method  we  have  described  will  be  found  the  best,  where 
perfection  in  raised  v^ork  is  sought  for ; but  a more  simple  mode 
of  working,  over  a common  wooden  mesh,  and  cutting  with  the 
scissors,  in  a similar  manner  to  the  raised  edges  of  urn  rugs,  is 
frequently  adopted  with  success,  but  the  work  seldom  bears  any 
comparison  with  the  former,  either  in  beauty  or  durability. 

EMBROIDERY  IN  GOLD  AND  SILVER. 

Embroidery  as  executed  by  ladies,  with  gold  and  silver,  has 
not  a very  extensive  range ; it  consists  principally  of  needlework 
for  altar  cloths,  bags,  sachets,  folios,  and  smaller  articles ; but  it  is 
frequently  introduced  intermixed  with  other  materials,  to  heighten 
and  improve  their  effect. 

For  that  description  of  embroidery  technically  termed  gnimped 
embroidery,  the  pattern  must  be  drawn  on  the  material,  and  the 
figures  of  the  pattern  also  cut  in  parchment,  vellum,  or  cloth, 
over  which  the  gold  or  silver  is  sewn  with  a fine  silk  thread. 
Embroidery  on  the  stamp , is  a similar  kind,  but  here,  the  figures 
being  higher  and  more  prominent,  are  raised  by  means  of  wool 
or  cotton,  which  gives  them  a much  more  rounded  appearance. 
For  embroidering  with  gold  and  silver,  the  frame  should  be  dressed 
with  fine  holland,  to  which  the  material  intended  to  form  the 
groundwork  must  be  carefully  tacked.  When  gold  passing  is  used, 
a round-eyed  needle  should  be  employed,  and  some  pattern  should 
be  obtained  to  show  the  direction  of  the  stitches,  on  the  great 
regularity  of  which  depends  the  principal  excellence  of  the  work. 


132 


EMBROIDERY. 


If  the  embroidery  be  in  bullion,  a small  needle  threaded  with  a 
waxed  gold-coloured  silk  must  be  used,  on  which  this  material, 
cut  into  proper  lengths,  should  be  strung.  The  work  is  some- 
times greatly  improved  by  the  intermixture  of  rough,  smooth,  and 
checked  bullion  in  the  same  piece.  Embroidery  with  spangles 
is  quickly  done,  and  very  showy  where  much  glittering  effect  is 
desired.  Coronets,  initials,  and  mottos,  have  a very  rich  appear- 
ance when  properly  embroidered  in  gold, — the  cap  of  the  coronet 
being  composed  of  velvet.* 

EMBROIDERY  IN  TAMBOUR. 

This  is  another  description  of  embroidery,  worked  with  a 
notched  or  tambour  needle,  which,  although  its  value  has  been 
much  deteriorated  by  the  successful  attempts  at  imitation  with 
machinery,  still  claims  our  attention  as  a very  pretty  and  easy- 
kind  of  work.  We  have  seen  patterns  of  arabesques  and  flowers 
very  beautifully  executed  in  tambour  with  silk,  intermixed  with 
gold,  on  satin.  Braiding  patterns  are  elegant  when  worked  in 


* The  art  of  embroidery  with  gold  appears  to  a great  degree  lost,  or  to  have 
fallen  into  disuse.  From  the  few  examples  of  ancient  Catholic  vestments  that 
have  escaped  destruction,  the  generality  of  persons  are  but  little  acquainted 
with  the  extreme  beauty  of  the  embroidery  worked  for  ecclesiastical  purposes 
during  the  Middle  Ages.  The  countenances  of  the  images  were  executed 
with  perfect  expression,  like  miniatures  in  illuminated  manuscripts.  Every 
parochial  church,  previous  to  the  Reformation,  was  furnished  with  complete  sets 
of  frontals  and  hangings  for  the  altars.  One  of  the  great  beauties  of  the  an- 
cient embroidery  was  its  appropriate  design ; each  flower,  each  leaf,  each  device 
had  a significant  meaning  with  reference  to  the  festival  to  which  the  vestment 
belonged.  Such  was  the  extreme  beauty  of  the  English  vestments  in  the  reign 
of  Henry  III,  that  Innocent  IV.  forwarded  bulls  to  many  English  bishops, 
enjoining  them  to  send  a certain  quantity  of  embroidered  vestments  to  Rome, 
for  the  use  of  the  clergy  there. 


EMBROIDERY. 


133 


this  stitch,  especially  in  shades — a species  of  needlework  executed 
with  great  elaborateness  on  cachemir  and  merino,  in  the  Levant. 
Fine  netting  silk  is  the  material  best  adapted  for  working  in 
tambour : it  is  also  very  beautiful  with  gold  passing  on  white 
crepe. 

The  material  on  which  tambour  work  is  to  be  executed,  must 
have  the  pattern  traced  on  it,  and  should  be  stretched  either  in  a 
tambour*  or  square  embroidery  frame.  In  working,  the  right 
hand,  which  directs  the  needle,  should  always  be  above  the  frame, 
and  the  left  beneath,  to  supply  the  silk  or  cotton,  which  is  caught 
by  the  hook  of  the  tambour  needle,  and  drawn  up  through  the 
work  so  as  to  form  a loop  on  its  surface  ; the  needle  should 
then  be  passed  through  that  loop,  and,  piercing  the  material,  be 
again  drawn  up  with  another  loop  on  its  hook,  which  is  drawn 
through  the  first;  a third  and  fourth,  and  so  on,  are  then  made, 
drawing  each  succeeding  loop  through  the  former.  In  flowers 
and  leaves,  it  is  advisable  to  work  the  outline  of  each  first,  and 
fill  up  the  centres  with  successive  rows  of  stitches.  Round  or 
oval  leaves  should  be  commenced  on  the  outside,  and  worked  one 
row  within  another,  terminating  in  the  centre.  The  points  of 
leaves  require  great  care  in  the  disposal  of  the  stitches,  in  order 
to  give  a neatness  and  finish  to  the  work.  The  stalks  may  be 
worked  either  in  single,  double,  or  treble  rows,  as  their  size  re- 
quires, and  according  to  the  coarseness  of  the  material  employed. 

The  elegant  embroideries  and  tambour  work  on  net,  muslin, 
and  cambric,  do  not  come  within  the  scope  of  our  department 
of  decorative  needlework,  but  the  above  directions  are  equally 
applicable  to  them. 


134 


EMBROIDERY. 


Chain  stitch , an  imitation  of  tambour  work,  is  generally  done 
on  the  hand  with  a common  sewing  needle,  looping  the  stitches 
in  a similar  manner  to  that  above  described.* 


* It  would  have  been  supposed  that  embroidery,  the  work  of  ladies’  fingers, 
could  never  have  been  supplanted  by  machinery,  yet  such  is  the  case.  At  the 
exposition  of  the  products  of  national  industry  at  Paris  in  1834,  a M.  Heilmann, 
of  Mulhause,  exhibited  a machine  he  had  invented,  by  which  a female  could 
embroider  with  eighty  or  one  hundred  and  forty  needles,  more  accurately  and 
expeditiously  than  she  formerly  could  with  one.  This  remarkable  invention 
attracted  considerable  notice  at  the  time;  and  several  of  these  machines  are 
now  used  in  France,  Germany,  and  Switzerland,  and  also  at  Manchester, 
where  much  of  the  sprigged  embroidery  for  ladies’  dresses  is  done,  at  a price 
which  human  labour  cannot  compete  with,  as  it  only  requires  the  superintend- 
ence of  one  grown  up  person  and  two  children,  to  do  the  daily  work  of  fifteen 
expert  embroiderers.  The  latter  are  merely  employed  to  change  the  needles 
when  all  the  thread  is  used,  and  to  see  that  no  needle  misses  its  pincers, 
which,  in  this  machine,  supply  the  place  of  the  finger  and  thumb  of  the  em- 
broiderer. We  cannot  here  enter  into  a description  of  this  machine,  but  the 
following  short  account  by  Dr.  Ure  may  not  be  uninteresting: — “ The  operative 
must  be  well  taught  to  use  the  machine,  for  he  has  many  things  to  attend  to: 
with  the  one  hand  he  traces  out,  or  rather  follows  the  design,  with  the  point 
of  the  pantograph ; with  the  other  he  turns  a handle  to  plant  and  pull  all  the 
needles,  which  are  seized  by  pincers,  and  moved  along  by  carriages,  approaching 
to,  and  receding  from,  the  web,  rolling  all  the  time  along  an  iron  railway  ; 
lastly,  by  means  of  two  pedals,  upon  which  he  presses  alternately  with  one  foot 
and  the  other,  he  opens  the  one  hundred  and  thirty  pincers  of  the  first  car- 
riage, which  ought  to  give  up  the  needles  after  planting  them  in  the  stuff,  and 
he  shuts  with  the  same  pressure  the  one  hundred  and  thirty  pincers  of  the 
second  carriage,  which  is  to  receive  the  needles,  to  draw  them  from  the  other 
side,  and  to  bring  them  back  again.” 

Having  so  far  trespassed,  we  cannot  better  conclude  the  subject  of  imitations 
of  the  needle,  than  by  quoting  the  following  beautiful  lines  from  Barry 
Cornwall : — 


THE  WEAVER’S  SONG. 

“ Weave,  brothers,  weave !— Swiftly  throw 
The  shuttle  athwart  the  loom, 

And  show  us  how  brightly  your  flowers  grow, 
That  have  beauty  but  no  perfume ! 


EMBROIDERY. 


135 


Come,  show  us  the  rose,  with  a hundred  dyes, 
The  lily,  that  hath  no  spot ; 

The  violet,  deep  as  your  true  love’s  eyes, 

And  the  little  forget  me-not ! 


Sing, — sing , brothers  ! weave  and  sing  t 
’ Tis  good  both  to  sing  and  to  weave: 
*Tis  better  to  work  than  live  idle , 

'Tis  better  to  sing  than  grieve. 


“ Weave,  brothers,  weave  ! — Weave,  and  bid 
The  colours  of  sunset  glow  1 
Let  grace  in  each  gliding  thread  be  hid  ! 

Let  beauty  about  ye  blow  ! 

Let  your  skein  be  long,  and  your  silk  be  fine, 
And  your  hands  both  firm  and  sure, 

And  time  nor  chance  shall  your  work  untwinq, 
But  all, — like  a truth, — endure  ! 

So, — sing,  brothers , Sfc. 


• Weave,  brothers,  weave  !— Toil  is  ours  ; 

But  toil  is  the  lot  of  men  : 

One  gathers  the  fruit,  one  gathers  the  flowers, 
One  soweth  the  seed  again  ! 

There  is  not  a creature,  from  England’s  King, 
To  the  peasant  that  delves  the  soil, 

That  knows  half  the  pleasures  the  seasons  bring, 
If  he  have  not  his  share  of  toil ! 

So,— sing,  brothers , <J*c. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


(ff cut d ci s toork. 


“ The  threaded  steel 

Hies  swiftly,  and  unfelt  the  task  proceeds.” 

Cowper. 

— “ In  needleworks  and  embroideries,  it  is  more  pleasing  to  have  a lively 

work  upon  a sad  and  solemn  ground,  than  to  have  a dark  and  melancholy 
work  upon  a lightsome  ground.” 

Bacon. 

HE  reason  for  comprising  the  various  sub- 
jects included  in  this  chapter  under  one  head, 
is,  that  they  are  so  intimately  connected  one 
with  the  other,  that  the  rules  relating  to 
them,  if  any  exist  (a  point  on  which  we  are 
ourselves  sceptical),  are  of  so  general  a nature  as  to  apply  partly 
to  all.  Certain  it  is,  as  has  been  elsewhere  observed,  that  “ there 
is  a right  and  a wrong  way  of  doing  everything yet  as  we 
have  so  often  seen  beautiful  effects  produced  without  attention 
to  rules,  we  feel  extremely  diffident  in  pronouncing  any  as  im- 
peratively necessary,  except  that  of  observing  the  right  way  of  the 


CANVAS  WORK. 


137 


stitch.  Beautiful  groundings,  both  in  cross  and  tent  stitch, 
have  been  executed  diagonally,  as  well  as  in  straight  lines  ; as 
also,  when  in  cross  stitch,  where  the  whole  piece  has  been  half 
stitched  one  way  before  it  has  been  crossed.  The  following 
rules  and  observations,  therefore,  are  intended  rather  to  show 
one  certain  and  easy  plan  for  attaining  success  in  this  branch 
of  needlework,  than  to  be  considered  as  exclusive  of  all  others. 
They  are  founded  on  observation,  and  the  experience  of  those 
who  have  spent  the  greater  part  of  what  may  be  termed  long 
lives  in  the  practical  part  of  each  department.  Every  day 
shows  how  much  there  is  still  to  improve  and  to  learn  in  the 
art  ; and  past  days  have  often  taught  us  how  much  we  have 
been  indebted  to  the  superior  taste  and  elegance  of  idea  of 
those  with  whom  our  vocation  has  brought  us  in  contact. 

It  is  obvious  that  all  Berlin  'patterns  are  intended  for  tent 
or  single  stitch,  the  checks  on  the  pattern  corresponding  with 
the  squares  in  the  canvas,  excepting  designs  where  the  faces 
and  hands  are  drawn  on  a smaller  scale  ; these  can  only  be 
worked  either  in  cross  or  Gobelin  stitch.  Some  Berlin  patterns, 
when  closely  shaded,  and  of  a general  uniformity  of  tint,  lose 
none  of  their  effect  when  enlarged  by  working  in  cross  stitch, 
and  even  if  copied  on  a gigantic  scale,  please  from  their  bold- 
ness, whilst  others,  less  calculated  to  be  enlarged,  are  deprived 
of  all  grace,  and  become  mere  distorted  masses  of  colouring. 
When  it  is  intended  to  increase  the  scale  of  a pattern  by  wTorking 
in  cross  stitch  on  a coarse  canvas,  the  colours  should  be  selected 
from  the  middle  tints,  avoiding  very  strong  lights  and  shades,  a 
rule  to  be  observed  whether  the  ground  be  light  or  dark.  Ger- 
man wools  may  be  used  for  working  flower  pieces  ; but  English 
wool  will  be  found  smoothest  and  best  for  the  grounding,  or  real 
German  worsted  perhaps  is  even  preferable,  and,  in  very  large 


138 


CANVAS  WORK. 


pieces,  both  durability  and  economy,  besides  comfort  in  working, 
will  be  attained  by  the  use  of  either.  In  cross  stitch,  when 
the  size  of  the  pattern  is  not  increased  above  one  third,  the 
design  will  not  be  essentially  altered,  and  the  taste  and  fancy 
of  the  needlewoman  may  be  pleased  in  the  choice  of  her  subject, 
regardless  of  the  difference  in  size.  Cross  stitch  on  one  thread, 
is  generally  much  admired,  but  it  is  not  calculated  for  a can- 
vas finer  than  twenty  threads  to  the  inch  ; coarser  than  that, 

all  sizes  are  equally  suitable.  Cross  stitch  on  one  thread 

appears  finer  than  cross  stitch  when  worked  the  same  size  on 
two  threads  ; it  is  more  raised,  and  where  it  is  fine  greatly  adds 
to  the  facility  of  working  on  a comparatively  coarse  canvas. 
When  the  human  figure  is  worked  in  cross  stitch,  the  face  and 
hands  should  certainly  be  executed  in  the  same  ; but  Berlin 
patterns  having  these  parts  drawn  on  a smaller  scale,  must  thus 
be  copied,  unless  we  attempt  the  very  difficult  task  of  alteration. 
This,  however,  may  be  a matter  of  taste,  as  designs  thus  worked 

are,  by  many  persons,  greatly  admired  : nevertheless  we  cannot 

approve  of  the  plan  of  sinking  these  portions-  of  the  picture, 
by  making  four  stitches  in  the  place  of  one. 

As  a general  rule,  it  is  better  to  commence  all  patterns 
which  are  to  form  a centre, , whether  for  chair  seats,  cushions, 
bags,  or  other  articles,  on  the  middle  stitch,  either  on  Berlin 

canvas,  cloth,  or  on  canvas  intended  to  be  grounded  ; but  for 
figure  pieces  and  historical  subjects  there  are  obvious  reasons  why 
it  is  preferable  to  begin  at  the  bottom.  The  stitches  are  easier 
to  work  upwards,  and  they  better  accommodate  themselves  to 

each  other ; and  as  the  lower  part  is  generally  less  observed 
than  the  upper,  the  sky,  which  is  the  most  delicate,  is  worked 

last,  and  does  not  require  to  be  rolled,  nor  is  the  work  so 

% likely  to  be  uneven  when  taken  out  of  the  frame. 


CANVAS  WORK. 


139 


It  is  curious  that  the  grounding , one  of  the  most  particular 
parts  of  the  work,  should  generally  be  deemed  of  such  minor 
importance.  Although  a tedious  and  uninteresting  process,  yet 
when  properly  accomplished,  it  fully  repays  the  trouble  bestowed. 
To  ground  well,  requires  great  practice  and  experience.  It  is  fully 
appreciated  by  many  persons,  as  the  first  observation  on  seeing  a 
fine  specimen  of  canvas  work  is — “ the  beautiful  grounding !” 

In  grounding,  it  is  advisable  to  begin  at  the  bottom  of  the 
canvas,  in  the  left  hand  corner.  Above  all  things,  the  wool 
should  be  suited  to  the  size  of  the  canvas,  the  threads  of  which 
it  should  perfectly  conceal.  The  needleful  of  wool  should  be 
short,  both  on  account  of  soiling  and  impoverishing  as  it  passes 
through  the  canvas,  and  a very  small  portion  only  should  be 
passed  through  the  eye  of  the  needle.  Finishing  off  on  the  same 
spot  should  always  be  avoided;  and,  instead  of  making  knots,  the 
wool  should  be  brought  up  and  worked  over.  When  grounding 
is  done  on  the  hand,  run  the  wool  through  a few  stitches  at  the 
back  of  the  work.  Although  not  impossible,  it  is  extremely  dif- 
ficult to  ground  fine  canvas  with  pale  blue,  buff,  straw,  salmon, 
or  grey ; complaints  are  made  against  the  worker  and  the  wool, 
when  the  colour  is  an  almost  insurmountable  obstacle.  A white 
or  light  coloured  ground  should  never  be  attempted  on  any  but 
the  whitest  canvas,  nor  should  subjects  where  a sky  is  to  be  de- 
picted ever  be  worked  on  any  other.  Delicate  scarlet,  smalt  blue, 
various  drabs,  dark  purple,  Spanish  brown,  gold  colour,  chrysophas 
green,  claret,  and  marron,  if  well  chosen,  are  all  both  durable  and 
good  colours  for  grounding.  There  is  so  much  difficulty  with 
black,  on  account  of  its  sometimes  soiling  the  fingers  and  work, 
that  it  is  not,  generally  speaking,  advisable,  and  at  all  times, 
except  for  gem  patterns,  it  has  a decidedly  harsh  appearance. 
Many  of  the  neutral  tints,  which  appear  very  beautiful  as  grounds 


140 


CANVAS  WORK. 


by  daylight,  mix  with  the  greens  and  olives  by  candle-light,  and 
completely  destroy  their  effect.  It  is  at  all  times  important  to 
secure  at  one  time  a sufficient  quantity  of  the  colour  for  grounding 
a piece  of  work,  or  it  may  otherwise  be  impossible  afterwards 
exactly  to  match  it. 

Gobelin,  or  tapestry  stitch , to  look  well  should  be  worked  on  a 
fine  or  moderately  fine  canvas ; it  is  prettiest  with  single  wool ; — 
on  a very  fine  canvas  it  is  beautiful.  A canvas  was  made  about 
four  years  since,  expressly  for  this  stitch,  but  it  has  not  been 
much  used  in  England,  as  Berlin  patterns  could  not  be  worked 
upon  it,  the  threads  of  the  warp  and  woof  being  unequal  in  size. 
For  patterns  drawn  on  the  canvas  it  is  decidedly  good,  although 
not  adapted  for  count  work.  In  Gobelin  stitch,  the  colours  should 
be  chosen  as  close  as  possible,  but  bright  lights  and  dark  shades 
may  nevertheless  be  introduced.  Silk  should  not  be  used,  or  only 
when  the  work  is  very  fine. 

A good  eye  for  colours  is  a natural  gift,*  and  though  this,  like 
every  other  faculty,  may  be  greatly  improved  by  cultivation  and 
practice,  yet  quick  discernment  and  natural  good  taste  will  cause 
some  to  excel  in  the  adaptation  of  colours  more  than  others;  but 
to  the  most  talented,  length  of  time  and  patience  are  necessary  to 
a perfect  knowledge  of  colouring — hence  the  difficulty  of  sorting 
Berlin  patterns.  The  numberless  tints  of  greys,  buffs,  browns, 
maizes,  salmons,  ester  hazy  s,  lilacs,  and  greens,  f not  to  mention  the 


* According  to  the  views  of  phrenologists,  the  eyes,  although  affected  agree- 
ably or  disagreeably  by  the  different  modifications  of  the  beams  of  light,  or  of 
colours,  yet  do  not  conceive  the  relations  of  different  colours,  their  harmony  or 
discord,  and  have  no  memory  of  them.  Certain  individuals  are  almost  destitute 
of  the  power  of  perceiving  colours,  who  yet  have  the  power  of  vision  acute. — 
Vide  Gall,  Sur  les  Fonctions  du  Cerveau , tom.  v. 

f To  the  artist,  the  names  of  some  of  the  colours  employed  in  needlework 
may  appear  curious,  but  he  must  remember  that  wools  and  silks  cannot  be  laid 


CANVAS  WORK. 


141 


more  easily  distinguished  pinks,  scarlets,  geraniums,  "blues,  and 
yellows,  require  greater  ability  for  their  arrangement  and  disposi- 
tion than  at  first  would  be  supposed,  and  can  only  be  understood 
by  those  who  have  devoted  much  attention  to  them. 

There  are  at  least  twelve  distinct  hues  of  green,  and  every  one 
of  these  has  perhaps  twenty  gradations  of  tint,  the  right  method 
of  intermixing  which  gives  the  beautiful  effect  to  the  leaves  of  a 
well-sorted  group  of  flowers.  It  would  be  tedious  to  our  readers 
to  enter  fully  into  a description  of  each,  we  will  therefore  only 
instance  three  shades  of  rose  leaves. 

A bright  green  rose  leaf  may  be  worked  with  five  shades  of 
colour — a dark  Saxon  green,  two  grass  greens,  and  two  Austrian 
greens.  A dark  green  rose  leaf  will  require  black,  two  French 
greens,  and  two  Devonshire  greens.  For  a faded  rose  leaf  a 
black,  two  rose  greens,  a yellow  olive,  or  a light  yellow  green, 
will  be  required.  The  colours  for  a rose  should  be  a bright 
'ponceau,  a rose  pink,  and  three  distinct  shades  of  a clear  pink : 
we  may  here  observe  that  the  effect  of  pink  flowers  is  improved 
by  their  proximity  to  whites  and  rich  yellow-greens.  For  a damask 
rose , black,  two  clarets,  geranium,  scarlet,  and  red  pink,  should  be 
used.  For  a white  rose , let  the  contrast  be  greatest  in  the  darker 
shades — they  cannot  be  too  soft  in  the  lighter.  Where  silk  is 
used  for  the  highest  lights,  white  wool  may  also  be  taken  for 
the  second  tint.  White  flowers  may  be  worked  either  with 
green  whites,  slates,  or  silver  greys,  according  to  the  nature  of 
the  flower:  but  all  must  be  as  delicate  as  possible,  and  harsh 

on  a palette  and  mixed  according  to  the  precise  tint  required;  nor  can  they, 
after  they  have  oeen  inserted,  be  retouched,  or  their  effect  heightened  or  sub- 
dued at  command  as  m painting.  Hence,  instead  of  a few  simple  colours  from 
which  all  tints  can  be  produced,  the  needlewoman  is  obliged  to  employ  several 
thousand ; and  it  becomes  necessary  to  distinguish  them  one  from  the  other  by 
epithets  however  unscientific. 


14 


142 


CANVAS  WORK. 


shades  in  the  centres  equally  avoided.  White  flowers  best  contrast 
with  rich  olive  greens. 

Groups  of  flowers , and  moresque  patterns,  should  always  have 
one  or  more  parts  comprised  of  the  hue  of  the  ground ; — thus,  a 
white  flower  in  a group,  worked  on  a white  ground,  pleases  the 
eye,  and  imparts  a softness  to  the  whole  piece.  It  must  not, 
however,  be  understood  that  the  white  flowTer  rests  unsurrounded 
on  the  grounding,  or  is  the  most  prominent  object.  Great  bril- 
liancy of  colour  and  depth  of  shade  may  be  used  on  light  grounds, 
but  the  introduction  of  black  in  the  leaves  and  flowers,  and  all 
dark  harsh  edges  on  the  ground,  should  be  avoided  as  much  as 
possible.  On  dark  grounds,  the  brightest  colours  should  occupy 
the  centre,  the  white  flowers  should  be  well  shaded,  the  pinks  and 
yellows  full,  the  blues  clear,  but  not  light ; the  lilacs  of  a bluish 
tinge,  the  crimsons  of  a yellow  tinge ; rich  barre  colours,  and 
black  in  most  of  the  leaves ; the  flowers,  and  the  other  parts 
resting  on  the  ground,  should  be  bright  but  not  light.  The 
brightest  edges  of  the  flowers  and  leaves,  should  be  those  which 
are  in  the  centre  of  the  group. 

In  flesh  colours  there  are  six  or  eight  hues,  and  at  least  twelve 
tints  in  each.  We  can  only  say  that  the  pattern  sorter  must 
use  his  or  her  judgment  in  selecting  from  these  to  match  the  pat- 
tern, or  improve  it  by  making  the  colours  more  conformable  to 
what  is  intended  to  be  expressed,  or  rather  to  nature. 

Blues,  not  being  generally  good,  require  great  care  in  selecting; 
hence,  it  is  better  to  use  the  middle  tints  in  every  case  where  it 
is  possible,  as  being  the  best:  black  is  almost  always  an  improve- 
ment for  the  darkest  colour,  and  the  leaves  round  blue  flowers 
should  be  yellow-greens  and  olives,  if  at  all  admissible. 

The  above  remarks  are  intended  for  those  who  have  not  much 
studied  the  art  of  colouring,  and  to  put  them  on  their  guard 


CANVAS  WORK. 


143 


against  a too  common  error  in  needlework,  the  over  anxiety  for 
bright  colours.  Brightness  of  colouring,  is  produced  by  opposi- 
tion,— the  intensity  of  sun-shine  can  only  be  manifest  by 
immediate  contrast  with  utter  darkness.  So  it  is  in  colouring ; 

the  neutral  tints  and  dark  shades  give  life  to  the  brighter  and 
more  glowing  hues.  This  we  have  endeavoured  to  impress  by 
the  few  remarks  we  have  ventured  to  make  relative  to  the  dispo- 
sition of  colouring  on  various  grounds,  where  we  have  attempted 
to  show,  that  harmony  of  tone,  not  opposition  between  the  object 
and  the  ground,  is  to  be  desired.  We  again  revert  to  the 
colouring  of  a white  or  light  object,  for  the  sake  of  instancing 
one  of  the  errors  frequently  committed  in  needlework.  We 
have  seen  the  “ Return  from  Hawking”  worked  on  fine  canvas, 
with  the  white  horse  very  well  shaded,  except  that,  with  a view 
of  adding  to  the  effect,  white  wool,  heightened  by  a considerable 
portion  of  white  silk,  was  introduced.  This  change  of  material, 
and  its  extra  whiteness,  instead  of  producing  the  desired  intent, 
destroyed  the  roundness  of  the  body  of  the  animal,  and  gave  a 
concave  appearance  to  those  parts  intended  to  be  the  most  promi- 
nent. When  white  silk  is  employed,  its  colour  is  essential  ; the 
hue  should  assimilate  with  that  of  the  wool,  and  this  must  be 
carefully  borne  in  mind  in  every  case  where  silk  (whatever  its 
colour  may  be)  is  introduced.  In  a subject  similar  to  the  above, 
however,  its  introduction  is  at  all  times  better  avoided. 

In  painting,  colouring  has  been  divided  into  that  which  is 
necessary  for  rendering  the  imitation  just  and  intelligible,  and  that 
which  is  expedient  or  ornamental , as  contributing  to  make  the 
work  at  once  more  harmonious  and  delightful  to  the  eye.  In  the 
first,  truth  in  the  local  tints  is  alone  required,  but  the  second 
demands  discernment  both  in  their  selection  and  distribution. 
This  has  been  aptly  illustrated  by  the  following  example  : — let  us 


144 


CANVAS  WORK. 


suppose  the  principal  figure  in  a piece  to  be  dressed  in  sky-blue, 
and  another  figure  near  it,  of  less  consequence  in  the  subject,  to 
be  represented  in  scarlet,  with  an  under  vestment  of  bright  yellow, 
and  let  the  light  be  made  to  strike  equally  on  both  : in  such  a 
case,  it  would  be  utterly  impossible  to  give  an  effect  agreeable  or 
harmonious  to  the  picture,  although  each  of  these  objects  should 
be  painted  with  the  utmost  exactness  and  truth  ; nay,  the  combi- 
nation, though  found  in  nature  itself,  would  excite  feelings  of 
disgust  and  aversion;  whereas,  if  the  principal  figure  were  dressed 
in  scarlet  and  white  draperies,  and  the  figure  next  it  in  blue,  if 
not  too  light  or  bold  a tint,  the  effect  would  be  harmonious  and 
pleasing  : and  another  point  of  great  importance  would  be  gained, 
as  the  eye  would  then  be  attracted  by  the  principal  figure, 
which  could  not  have  been  the  case  in  the  former  instance,  where 
the  gaudy  combination  of  yellow  and  red  must  infallibly,  as  is 
natural  with  all  warm  colours,  have  first  obtruded  itself  into 
notice.  The  want  of  harmony  in  colouring  is  as  offensive  to 
the  eye  as  discordant  sounds  are  to  the  ear.  Gaudy  colouring 
would  more  frequently  offend,  were  not  the  judgment  sometimes 
warped  by  the  prejudice  that  excellence  consists  in  brilliancy. 

Patterns  dranm  on  canvas  must  be  shaded  according  to  the 
drawing,  without  any  attempt  at  counting  stitches.  Arabesques 
may  in  general  be  commenced  by  working  the  veining  of  the 
foliage  and  darkest  tints  first,  which  really  is  not  difficult,  as 
the  principal  features  of  the  drawing  are  in  dark  lines.  The 
second,  third,  and  fourth  shades  may  follow  : in  these  also  there 
is  little  difficulty  ; but  in  the  fifth  and  sixth  shades  (if  a sixth  is 
used)  more  attention  will  be  required,  as  it  is  only  in  those  parts 
on  which  the  light  falls  that  the  brightest  tints  are  to  be  placed, 
and  these,  or  one  of  them  at  least,  should  be  in  silk.  Berlin 
patterns  possess  such  superiority  over  any  drawn  patterns  of 


CANVAS  WORK. 


145 


flowers  for  canvas  work,  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  lay  down  any 
rules  for  working  the  latter.  Landscapes,  figure  pieces,  still  life, 
and  animals,  even  when  properly  drawn  on  the  material,  require 
the  talent  of  an  artist  to  execute.  Patterns  of  gems  require  but 
little  shade,  and  borrow  most  of  their  beauty  from  their  arrange- 
ment and  the  gold  colours  in  which  they  are  set.  Birds  are  not 
difficult  to  work  when  drawn  on  the  canvas  : the  variety  of 
colours  in  their  plumage  divides  the  parts  into  small  portions, 
but  the  outline  must  be  correct,  and  the  colours  clearly  marked. 

Crests  and  coats  of  arms  are  more  easily  worked  on  canvas 
when  copied  from  a pattern  drawn  and  coloured  on  checked 
paper.  This  may  easily  be  procured,  by  giving  the  designer  an 
impression  from  a seal,  or  a slight  sketch  of  the  emblazonment  in 
pencil,  when  (if  he  be  sufficiently  versed  in  heraldry)  he  will  ar- 
range them  correctly  and  of  the  required  dimensions.  It  is  to 
be  regretted  that  much  labour  and  expense  are  often  bestowed 
on  designs  of  this  kind,  which,  although  not  incorrect,  heraldically 
speaking,  are  yet  totally  devoid  of  grace  and  elegance,  from  the 
artist  not  sufficiently  comprehending  the  service  he  is  required  to 
render  the  needlewoman. 

In  working  from  Berlin  patterns,  the  introduction  of  silk  with 
wool  in  the  leaves  and  flowers,  on  fine  canvas,  is  sometimes  an 
improvement.  In  coarser  work,  such  as  cross  stitch,  with  double 
wool,  silk  is  detrimental  to  the  effect,  and  even  more  so  to  the 
wear.  In  the  plumage  of  birds,  and  in  shells,  it  may  be  used, 
and  certainly  heightens  their  colouring.  In  arabesques,  silk  may 
be  considered  as  indispensable,  as  also  in  gem  patterns.  The 
gold,  silver,  and  steel,  in  heraldic  displays,  are  improved  by  the 
addition  of  silk.  Its  use  in  other  instances  must  be  left  to  taste. 

In  the  former  part  of  this  chapter,  we  have  spoken  of  the  en- 
largement of  Berlin  patterns  by  working  them  on  a canvas  coarser 


146 


CANVAS  WORK. 


than  the  checks  of  the  paper.  All  patterns  may  be  increased  or 
diminished  in  size  according  as  they  are  worked  on  fine  or  coarse 
canvas,  or  in  cross  or  tent  stitch.  As  an  illustration,  let  us  take 
the  Berlin  pattern  of  the  “ Return  from  Hawking.”  If  this  de- 
sign were  worked  on  mosaic  canvas,  in  tent  stitch,  it  would  occupy 
a space  of  twenty-two  inches  in  width,  and  sixteen  inches  in  height ; 
but  if  it  were  worked  on  a very  coarse  canvas,  in  cross  stitch,  it 
might  be  extended  to  eighteen  feet  eight  inches  in  width,  and 
thirteen  feet  four  inches  in  height.  This  pattern  counts  nine 
hundred  stitches  in  width,  and  six  hundred  and  forty  in  height. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


Crocljct. 


“ Behold  in  these  what  leisure  hours  demand, — 
Amusement.” 


CoWPER. 


ROCHET  work,  although  long  known  and  prac- 
tised, did  not  attract  particular  attention  until 
within  the  last  four  years,  since  which  time  it 
has  been  brought  to  great  perfection,  and  has 
been  applied  with  success  to  the  production  of 
numerous  ornamental  works.  Shawls,  table  cevers,  pillows,  otto- 
mans, chairs,  rugs,  carriage  mats,  slippers,  bags,  cabats,  purses, 
waistcoats,  and  a variety  of  other  articles,  may  be  appropriately 
worked  in  crochet,  employing  silk,  wool,  or  cotton,  as  their  various 
purposes  demand.  When  wool  is  used,  that  kind  denominated 
fleecy,  is  generally  preferred.  This  material,  if  of  a six-thread 

size,  with  an  ivory  needle,  offers  the  easiest  kind  of  work  with 
which  we  are  acquainted ; it  may  be  learned  without  even  looking 
at  it,  and  has  therefore  been  much  practised  by  invalids  and 


148 


CROCHET. 


persons  whose  sight  either  needs  relief,  or  has  become  impaired. 
All  striped  patterns  may  (if  desired)  be  done  in  narrow  widths, 
and  joined  in  the  dividing  lines,  so  that  a table-cover  may  be 
worked  in  four  or  six  lengths,  and  afterwards  sewn  together 
with  wool  without  the  least  detriment  to  its  appearance.  Crochet 
may  be  done  in  coarse  and  fine  chenille  for  pillows,  bags,  caps, 
and  waistcoats  ; — in  crochet  silk,  for  caps,  slippers,  and  bags ; — 
in  coarse  netting  silk,  it  forms  strong  purses,  bags,  and  slippers ; 
and  the  most  delicate  work  may  be  done  with  the  finer  silks. 
Gold  and  silver, — either  cord  or  passing,  can  be  intermixed  with 
the  chenilles  and  silks,  or  employed  separately.  Gold  and  steel 
beads  may  be  strung  on  the  silk,  and  worked  in  various  pat- 
terns, producing  a rich  and  beautiful  effect. 

Crochet  work  may  be  divided  into  plain  single  crochet,  plain 
double  crochet,  plain  stitch  open  crochet,  and  open  crochet  with 
one,  two,  or  three  stitches.  These  varieties  will  be  found  de- 
scribed as  they  occur,  in  the  following  directions  for  working. 

Crochet,  although  in  itself  a most  simple  stitch,  is  difficult  to 
describe  in  writing,  but  we  shall  endeavour  to  explain  the  ele- 
mentary process  for  the  instruction  of  those  to  whom  it  may  not 
be  familiar. 

Having  wound  a skein  of  wool,  make  a loop  at  the  end, 
through  this  draw  another  loop,  through  this  second  another,  and 
so  on,  moderately  tightening  each  as  it  is  drawn  through,  until 
a chain  of  sufficient  length  is  made  to  serve  as  the  foundation 
for  the  article  it  is  intended  to  make.  Pass  the  needle  through 
the  last  made  loop  of  this  foundation,  and,  catching  the  silk, 
draw  it  through,  repeating  the  same  at  every  successive  loop ; 
then  returning  along  this  row,  repeat  the  same  to  form  a second. 
A repetition  of  which,  alternately  backwards  and  forwards,  from 
right  to  left,  and  from  left  to  right,  will  give  the  first  and 


CROCHET. 


149 


easiest  lesson.  The  work  will  be  the  same  on  both  sides,  produ- 
cing by  turns  one  raised  and  one  sunken  row.  Having  accom- 
plished this,  we  may  proceed  to  make — 


A SOFA  PILLOW,  OR  TABLE  COVER. 


A good  sized  ivory  or  steel  crochet  needle,  with  six- 


thread  fleecy,  will  be  required.  Instead  of  working  the  rows 
backwards  and  forwards,  as  before  described,  begin  each  row  sepa- 
rately at  the  same  end.  When  the  last  stitch  of  each  row  is 
finished,  draw  the  wool  through,  and  cut  it  off,  leaving  an  end 
of  three  or  four  inches.  It  is  impossible  to  determine  the  exact 
number  of  stitches. — that  must  depend  on  the  article,  and  its 
required  size ; but  with  this  description  of  wool,  half  a yard  in 
length  will  generally  be  found  to  number  about  sixty-five  stitches, 
and  a calculation  may  accordingly  be  made.  The  following,  it 
is  to  be  understood,  is  merely  given  as  the  easiest  pattern. 

First  stripe — two  rows  in  black,  one  dark  scarlet,  one  bright 
scarlet,  one  light  scarlet,  one  white ; reverse  the  same  to  the 
black,  which  will  form  a pretty  shaded  stripe. 

Second  stripe — three  distinct  blues,  and  one  row  of  white, 
reversing  the  same,  as  before,  to  black. 

Third  stripe — three  pretty  stone  colours  or  drabs,  and  one  white, 
reversed  as  before,  to  the  black. 

Commence  again,  as  with  the  first  stripe,  with  scarlet,  and 
repeat  the  three  alternately. 

For  a moderate  sized  pillow,  one  skein  of  each  coloured  fleecy 
will  be  required. 


150 


CROCHET. 


AN  EASY  TURKISH  PATTERN  FOR  A TABLE  COYER 
OR  PILLOW. 


No.  1. 


This  is  an  easy  pattern  of  various  colours,  for  a table  cover 
or  pillow.  The  same  needle  and  six-thread  fleecy  will  be  re- 
quired. The  grounds  are  formed  of  white,  scarlet,  black,  gold 
colour,  and  blue. 

Make  the  chain  in  the  usual  way  with  black.  Then  with  black 
and  scarlet  together,  work  alternately  two  stitches  of  each,  keeping 
the  wool  not  in  use  on  the  top  of  the  chain,  bringing  it  back- 
wards and  forwards  as  required  to  form  the  pattern ; it  will  thus 
be  found  that  the  wool  not  in  use  will  be  concealed  by  the 
stitches  which  are  made  over  it. 

The  colours  on  the  white  stripe,  are — scarlet,  blue,  orange,  and 
lilac. 

On  the  scarlet  stripe — green,  white,  lilac,  and  claret. 

On  the  black  stripe — green,  scarlet,  gold  colour,  and  lilac. 

On  the  gold  colour — blue,  claret,  drab,  and  green. 

On  the  blue — lilac,  white,  claret,  and  gold  colour. 

All  the  stripes  are  to  be  divided  by  the  two  stitches  up  and 
down  of  black. 


CROCHET. 


15i 


ANOTHER  TURKISH  PATTERN  FOR  A TABLE 
COVER,  ETC. 


This  is  suitable  either  for  a table  cover,  counterpane,  pillow, 
the  tops  of  large  ottomans,  the  cover  for  a chair,  a rug,  or  a 
bedside  carpet.  Six-thread  fleecy  and  a steel  needle  will  be  re- 
quired. The  dividing  line  is  formed  of  two  clarets.  The  stripes 
are  white,  gold  colour,  blue,  and  scarlet. 

The  pattern  on  the  white  stripe  is  worked  in  two  greens,  two 
scarlets,  two  blues,  brown,  and  yellow. 

On  the  gold  coloured  stripe — two  blues,  claret,  white,  lilac,  and 
green. 

On  the  blue  stripe — two  scarlets,  two  greens,  drab,  white, 
brown,  and  orange. 

On  the  scarlet — green,  white,  two  blues,  claret,  and  bright 


152 


CROCHET. 


gEeneamnHBBnnnHnnnissBGncifinansHananBaDaBs 
sasBnanBarfaBBaQ^inssniinsBnEHiaasnBfisoDDBaaa 
3EDHnBPiCH@gs3aQaannaifflanDaB33nBBgaac3EBccDHi 


iMBBDQBBBUBBB 


dBBBBManaagMBlHBOQQBBSB 


fBBBannsaBBaBBaCCBiBBBBaoaaBBBBIBBBCCCBBBa 

MBaBMBHreasmMBMi 

S^aoaaGaoissiSEQasDcrassHCDDEaciaaaaiiaBM* 
KsssjacaaaBEBHDnKBBegBBaaaaai 

BBBBBBBgfir  ^gaBHOTBHBaaa^fi 

oys*assssBaa^iaassssDKKS3fi«sss«e«sBi®asaB»sSai 
gngnniwcDoaanr-  ' ' : n acBcncccacona 

BraBBBBBBngraSr  ■ •-  : ^SSnaaMUaoS 

fiOBCSECJEiCBnBOBnconngnaDHaDDcnaofflasmaaoinE 
— aESHcaaaBflaaaiBnansagagBBBicanHnpMis^ti^S 
BFjaDSCccr . .. 

«3saaaaDSSCsnBD3«ES0a0£2saBCBDHCHBaCBca3BaasI 

BnBnaaHiDcaDaffiaanHnDnDnBDBDBnMHnansnansBg 

sgsaansssBs^ssGSDSEs  -OBDasaaS 


Nc  3. 


Six-thread  fleecy,  with  a steel  needle. 

Commence  with  two  plain  rows  of  black,  then  one  row  of 
straw  colour  for  the  ground  of  the  border,  the  nine  rows  of  which 
are  in  shades  from  the  straw  colour  to  dark  orange,  thus  : — two 
of  yellow,  two  of  gold  colour,  two  of  amber,  two  of  orange,  two 
of  light  red  browns,  the  last  of  which  extends  one  row  below  the 
border  ; the  pattern  of  the  border  being  in  black,  or  the  deep 
rich  bleu  de  France. 

The  ground  of  the  centre  is  a rich  full  drab.  Work  one  row 
plain,  then  commence  with  the  pattern  as  follows. 

On  the  first  row — light  blue. 

On  the  second,  third,  and  fourth  rows — middle  blue,  the  three 
centre  stitches  of  the  pattern  in  the  third  row  being  black. 
This  third  row  requires  great  care  and  neatness  as  these 
colours  are  required  for  working  it,  which  must  be  hidden  except 
where  they  form  part  of  the  pattern. 

On  the  fifth  row — Waterloo  blue. 

On  the  sixth  row — the  pattern  is  light  yellow. 

On  the  seventh  row — dark  yellow. 

Repeat  the  nattern. 


CROCHET. 


153 


When  the  square  is  completed,  neatly  run  in  the  wools  with  a 
rug  needle,  which  will  produce  a firm  edge,  on  which  the  side 
borders  (if  desired)  may  be  crocheted,  but  it  requires  great  pains 
and  some  ingenuity  to  make  the  corners  exactly  match. 


ANOTHER  TABLE  COVER. 


No.  4. 


Commence  with  four  plain  rows — the  first,  claret ; the  second, 
middle  blue ; the  third,  claret ; the  fourth,  scarlet. 

The  pattern  of  the  first  border  is  in  three  shades  of  blue, — the 
lightest  at  the  top.  The  outer  ground  of  the  border  is  in  scarlet ; 
the  inner  ground  of  the  border  is  white.  Three  wools  are  worked 
at  the  same  time.  One  row  of  plain  white  finishes  the  border. 

The  pattern  of  the  second  border  is  formed  thus: — 

First  row — white,  and  middle  green. 

Second  row — white,  and  dark  green. 

Third  row — claret,  with  a single  stitch  of  white. 

Fourth  row — claret,  and  light  green. 

Fifth  row — claret,  and  middle  green. 


CROC II  KT. 


154 


Two  rows  of  plain  claret.  Then  on  the  claret  ground  com- 
mence the  palm  pattern  as  follows  ; — 

First  and  second  rows — two  bright  greens. 

Third  row — bright  scarlet. 

Fourth  row — scarlet,  and  white. 

Fifth  row — blue,  and  white. 

Sixth  row — blue. 

Seventh  row — deep  gold  colour. 

Eighth  row — bright  yellow. 

This  pattern  also  requires  three  different  coloured  wools  in 
many  of  the  rows.  It  is  very  handsome.  The  side  border  may 
be  crocheted  on. 

Six-thread  fleecy,  and  a steel  needle,  will  be  required. 

SMALL  PINE-PATTERN  TABLE  COVER. 


No.  5. 


The  chain  and  first  row — gold  colour. 

Second  row — black. 

Third  row — green. 

Fourth  row — gold  colour,  which  continues  through  the  outside 
ground  of  the  border.  The  inside  ground  of  the  border  is  the 
same  as  the  centre  of  the  table  cover, — a rich  drab.  The  pattern  of 
the  border  is  composed  of  three  shades  of  Saxon  green,  and  black. 


CROCHET. 


155 


The  small  pine  pattern  for  centre  is:— 

First  row — deep  gold  colour. 

Second  row — blue. 

Third  row — scarlet. 

Fourth  row — white. 

In  the  next,  or  reversed  row  of  the  pattern,  the  colours  may  be 
varied  as  follow: — 

First  row — scarlet. 

Second  row — green. 

Third  row — lilac. 

Fourth  row — white. 

The  six  patterns  above  given  for  table  covers,  will  be  found  the 
easiest  to  work  in  six-thread  fleecy ; and  are  best  calculated  to 
show  in  this  sized  wool ; but  they  may  be  worked  for  pillows, 
and  smaller  articles,  in  four-thread  fleecy,  or  even  German  wool. 
They  are  perhaps  the  most  effective  in  eight-thread  Hamburgh 
wool,  which  is  about  the  same  size  as  four-thread  fleecy.  Ham- 
burgh wool  is  most  durable,  and  has  a more  silky  appearance 

than  fleecy ; it  also  cleans  better  by  brushing,  as,  from  the  closeness 
of  its  make,  it  is  not  so  fluffy . The  same  patterns  are  also  well 

adapted  for  working  in  chenille. 

Crochet  table  covers  are  made  up,  by  turning  in  the  edges 
neatly,  and  sewing  on  a spaced  fringe*  of  the  colours  of  the 

stripes,  and  a head  either  of  the  colour  of  the  dividing  line,  or 

black.  The  fringe  should  be  about  three  or  four  inches  deep. 
They  do  not  require  any  lining.  If  the  work  be  for  rugs,  mats, 

* The  mode  of  making  a suitable  spaced  fringe,  will  be  found  in  the  follow- 
ing chapter  on  knitting.  Although  we  have  given  directions  for  a knitted 
fringe  in  case  it  should  be  preferred,  yet  a woven  one  will  be  found  much 
firmer  and  better. 


156 


CROCHET. 


or  carpets,  it  should  have  a firm  inside  lining,  and  be  backed 
with  a coarse  woollen  cloth  or  baize. 

An  eight  or  ten-thread  fleecy  may  be  used  for  the  coarser  articles. 

N.B.  In  the  directions  for  working  the  different  patterns  in 
crochet,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind,  that  unless  any  other  stitch  be 
mentioned,  the  plain  or  double  crochet  stitch  is  to  be  always  em- 
ployed. 

A CROCHET  SLIPPER. 


The  above  pattern  is  intended  for  a slipper  in  German  wool 
or  crochet  silk,  in  stripes  across  the  front,  continued  in  the  same 
direction  round  the  back.  The  colours  of  the  different  stripes, 
are  as  follow  : — 

First  stripe — yellow,  with  the  pattern  composed  of  lilac,  green, 
claret,  bright  scarlet,  and  blue. 

Second  stripe — lilac,  the  pattern  in  stone  colour,  gold  colour, 
green,  white,  and  pink. 

Third  stripe — green;  this  stripe  is  wider  than  any  other  on  the 
slipper.  The  pattern  on  it,  is  composed  of  scarlet,  claret,  black, 


CROCHET, 


157 


gold  colour,  lilac,  white,  stone  colour,  scarlet,  blue,  gold  colour, 
and  lilac. 

Fourth  stripe — white,  pattern  in  blue,  yellow,  lilac,  green,  and 
scarlet. 

Fifth  stripe — scarlet,  pattern  in  black,  yellow,  green,  lilac,  and 
white. 

Sixth  stripe — blue,  pattern  in  gold  colour,  claret,  pink,  green, 
and  white. 

The  narrow  stripes  are  repeated  round  the  back  of  the  slipper, 
the  sole  of  wdiich  may  be  formed  of  coarse  crochet  in  black. 

For  a moderate  sized  gentleman’ s-slipper  in  crochet  silk,  the 
toe  might  be  commenced  with  twenty-four  stitches,  and  increased 
in  the  succeeding  rows  until  the  width  across  the  instep  were 
eighty  stitches, — but  as  some  persons  work  so  much  tighter  than 
others,  a positive  number  cannot  be  given.  The  silk  also  may 
vary  in  size,  as  well  as  the  dimensions  required  for  a slipper. 
The  increasing  is  made  by  the  addition  of  a stitch  on  each  side 
of  the  work. 

The  stripes  in  the  front  of  the  slipper  are  yellow,  lilac,  green, 
and  white,  which  crosses  the  instep.  Count  the  number  of  stitches 
across  the  white  stripe,  and  commence  with  the  scarlet ; the  third 
of  its  width  on  one  side,  to  form  the  back.  Continue  these 
stripes  until  the  back  be  of  sufficient  length  to  be  sewn  to  the 
front  on  the  other  side.  It  is  advisable  before  commencing  a 
slipper,  to  cut  a paper  pattern  of  the  desired  size  and  shape. 

The  above  form  chaussons  to  wear  over  the  shoes,  or  they  may 
be  made  up  by  the  shoemaker  in  the  usual  way  for  slippers,  either 
for  ladies  or  gentlemen.  In  crochet  silk  they  are  extremely  warm 
and  durable. 

The  ends  of  the  wool  or  silk,  are  to  be  threaded  with  a 

needle  and  run  into  the  work  on  the  inside. 

15* 


158 


CROCHET. 


CHANCELIERE. 


As  it  is  impossible  to  give  the  exact  number  of  stitches,— 
each  row  varying, — it  is  advisable  to  cut  a shape  in  stiff  paper 
of  a proper  size,  as  the  pattern,  first  of  the  top,  and  then  of  the 
border.  Where  it  is  requisite  to  increase  the  width  of  the  work, 
it  must  be  done  by  malting  an  extra  stitch  on  each  side.  The 
stitches  of  the  band  are  to  be  worked  in  a contrary  direction  to 
those  of  the  top,  as  shewn  in  the  above  engraving.— The  annexed 
pattern  will  be  found  suitable  for  a chanceliere 


No.  7. 


CROCHET. 


159 


Commence  at  the  toe  by  working  two  plain  rows  of  ground 
in  scarlet,  and  crochet  the  centre  stripe  of  the  pattern  in  a rich 
green,  on  the  same  coloured  ground. 

The  ground  of  the  next  stripe  is  black,  on  which  the  pattern 
is  to  be  worked  in  three  shades  of  gold  colour. 

Work  a plain  row  of  middle  blue,  which  also  forms  the  ground 
of  the  small  chain  pattern,  with  the  exception  of  the  centre 
row,  which  is  claret.  The  chain  is  in  white. 

Work  a plain  row  of  claret,  and  then  repeat  the  second  stripe 
as  before,  with  the  colours  reversed. 

The  above  colours,  if  well  chosen,  are  exceedingly  pretty,  but 
of  course  they  may  be  varied  according  to  fancy. 

The  slipper  pattern  No.  6,  and  also  the  Turkish  pattern  No.  2, 
are  equally  adapted  for  a chanceliere. 

Four-thread  fleecy,  and  a steel  needle  are  to  be  used. 

The  inside  of  the  chanceliere  is  made  separate  and  knitted 
with  the  brioche  stitch,  in  six  or  eight-thread  fleecy.  The 
ermine  ruff,  or  trimming,  in  worsted,  may  easily  be  procured 
but  if  it  cannot  readily  be  so,  a thick  knitted  fringe  three  or 
four  times  doubled,  will  be  a good  substitute.  The  bottom  is 
formed  of  leather  or  cloth.  They  should  be  made  up  on  a 

very  firm  foundation,  and  stuffed  between  the  lining  and  the  work 
with  wool. 

A PLAIN  CROCHET  BAG  IN  SILK. 

Commence  at  the  top  with  a chain  of  about  one  hundred  and  forty 
stitches,  in  crochet  silk  (black),  on  which  work  a plain  row, 
and  then  one  row  alternately  every  two  stitches  with  black  and 
middle  blue.  The  blue  afterwards  forms  the  ground  of  the  pat- 
tern, of  which  one  plain  row  should  then  be  worked. 


160 


CROCHET. 


The  small  stars  in  the  pattern  are  in  rich  gold  colour,  the 
other  parts  in  light  yellow  brown ; crochet  one  row  of  plain 
ground  on  each  side  of  the  pattern,  and  repeat  the  row  of  black 
and  blue  stitches. 

The  next  ground  is  black,  the  pattern  in  bright  blue,  the 
smaller  stars  of  gold  colour. 

Repeat  these  stripes  with  the  dividing  row  of  black  and  blue, 
until  the  bag  is  of  a sufficient  length.  It  is  to  be  square  at 
the  bottom. 

If  the  above  colours  are  not  approved,  black,  green,  ponceau, 
and  white,  will  be  equally  good  The  dividing  stripe  may  be 
worked  in  gold  if  desired. 

An  usual  sized  bag  will  take  about  seven  skeins  of  crochet 
silk. 


A CROCHET  BAG  WITH  STAR-SHAPED  BOTTOM. 

Make  a chain  of  fourteen  stitches,  in  claret  crochet  silk  ; 
join  both  ends  together,  and  crochet  one  plain  row  all  round. 
In  the  next  row  (in  order  to  keep  the  circle  flat,)-  every  other 

stitch  is  to  be  made  a seam  or  dividing  stitch,  which  is  done 

by  putting  the  needle  under  both  loops,  instead  of  one,  and 

making  two  stitches  in  the  same  place,  every  other  stitch  being 


CROCHET. 


161 


a plain  stitch.  In  the  next  row,  work  the  seam-stitch  in  the 
same  place,  leaving  two  plain  stitches  between  each,  instead  of 
one.  Repeat  this  circle  sixteen  times,  always  observing  to  keep 
the  seam-stitch  in  the  same  place,  the  number  of  plain  stitches 
gradually  increasing,  when  a flat  surface  of  about  four  inches 
in  diameter  will  be  produced,  intersected  with  seven  raised 
stripes.  A Vandyke  border  in  claret  and  green  may  now  be 
made  as  follows. 

First  row — five  stitches  of  claret,  one  of  green. 

Second  row— three  stitches  of  claret,  three  of  green. 

Third  row — one  stitch  of  claret,  five  of  green. 

Fourth  row — a plain  row  of  green. 

The  following  pattern  may  then  be  worked  in  green  on  the 
claret  ground. 


No  9. 


When  within  five  rows  of  the  top  of  the  bag,  work  one 
plain  row  of  ground,  repeat  the  Vandyke,  and  work  two  plain 
rows  of  the  claret  ground. 


162 


CROCHET. 


This  bag  is  very  pretty  and  delicate  worked  in  white  and 
gold,  in  blue  and  gold,  and  in  black  and  gold.  It  may  also 
be  varied  in  colour  as  taste  may  dictate. 


PERSIAN  PATTERN  BAG. 

The  pattern  No.  1 will  work  very  prettily  for  a bag  in  silk  or 
chenille.  A light  green  stripe  may  be  introduced,  with  gold 
colour,  lilac,  white,  and  scarlet,  for  the  pattern  ; but  the  colours 
as  arranged  for  the  table-cover,  will  look  equally  well. 

A STAR  BOTTOM  FOR  A BAG,  WITH  BEADS. 

Make  a chain  of  fourteen  stitches,  join  both  ends  together  with 
the  crochet,  and  crochet  one  plain  row  all  round.  In  the  next 
row,  every  other  stitch  is  to  be  made  a seam  or  dividing  stitch, 
which  is  done  by  putting  the  needle  under  both  loops,  instead  of 
under  one.  and  making  two  stitches  in  the  same  place  ; every 
other  stitch  being  a plain  stitch,  on  which  is  to  be  a bead.  In 
the  next  row,  work  the  seam  stitch  exactly  over  the  last,  which 
will  leave  two  plain  stitches  between,  instead  of  one  ; this  is  to  be 
repeated  until  eight  circles  are  formed,  every  plain  stitch  having 
a bead  on  it.  Crochet  eight  rows  more,  leaving  the  seam  stitch 
in  the  same  place,  but  diminish  the  number  of  beads,  by  leaving 
out  one  bead  in  each  division  on  each  successive  circle,  so  that 
the  last  row  will  have  but  one  bead  in  each  division.  Then 
crochet  four  plain  rows,  keeping  the  seam  stitch  in  the  same  place 
as  before,  then  one  plain  row  all  round  without  a seam  stitch, 
which  forms  the  bottom  of  the  bag. 


CROCHET. 


163 


A BAG  WITH  STEEL  OR  GOLD  BEADS. 

Make  a star  bottom  for  the  bag,  as  previously  directed.  For 
the  upper  part  of  the  bag,  either  of  the  annexed  patterns — pine 
or  diamond — may  be  employed. 


No.  ia 


No.  11. 


The  pine  pattern  is  the  handsomest. 

When  within  five  rows  of  the  top  of  the  bag,  the  pattern  will 
finish,  when  two  or  three  plain  rows  are  to  be  worked,  and  the 
two  remaining  rows  may  be  composed  of  steel  beads. 

The  colours  which  assimilate  best  with  steel:  are — black,  ponceau, 
silver  grey,  purple,  and  marron. 

For  gold  beads — brown,  dark  green,  crimson,  violet,  and  blue, 
are  to  be  preferred. 

Any  pattern  intended  for  beads,  may  be  worked  with  equal 
effect  with  gold  cord. 


164 


CROCHET. 


ANOTHER  BAG  WITH  STEEL  OR  GOLD  BEADS,  AND 
SILK  OF  TWO  COLOURS. 


Make  a star  bottom  as  before.  Crochet  the  above  pattern  in 
steel  round  it,  supposing  the  ground  black.  Work  five  plain  rows 
in  a dark  green.  Repeat  the  black  stripe  with  steel  beads. 
Work  five  more  plain  rows  of  green  in  a lighter  shade,  and  repeat 
these  stripes  black  and  green  alternately,  until  the  bag  be  finished, 
making  each  succeeding  stripe  of  green  lighter  than  the  last. 

It  has  always  a good  effect  when  working  stripes,  to  break  the 
straight  line  by  crocheting  alternately  two  stitches  of  each  colour. 

Dark  green  and  ponceau,  violet  and  greens,  ponceau  and  greys, 
claret  and  blues,  and  white  and  blues,  are  colours  which  will 
prettily  harmonise. 


AN  ELEGANT  BAG  IN  BLUE,  WHITE,  AND  GOLD. 

Work  a chain  of  about  six  stitches  in  length,  with  fine  blue 
crochet  silk,  and  join  both  ends  together.  Commence  with  three 
plain  rows  of  blue,  and  then  one  row  blue  and  gold  in  alternate 
stitches,  which  forms  the  foundation  of  the  star  pattern  for  the 
bottom  of  the  bag. 

On  the  above  circle,  crochet  a row  of  two  stitches  of  blue,  and 
two  of  gold,  alternately.  In  the  next  row,  two  of  blue  and  three 
of  gold,  and  continue  one  row  after  another,  increasing  each  time 
one  stitch  of  the  gold  in  every  division  of  each  row,  until  they 
amount  to  eight,  taking  care  to  keep  the  two  stitches  of  blue  in 
their  right  position  Dver  each  other. 


CROCHET. 


165 


The  gold  must  be  decreased  three  stitches  on  the  next  row, 
by  working  four  stitches  of  blue,  and  five  of  gold ; in  the  next 
row  there  should  be  seven  of  blue,  and  three  of  gold ; and  in 
the  next,  eleven  of  blue,  and  one  of  gold,  followed  by  two  plain 
rows  of  blue,  increasing  a sufficient  number  of  stitches  to  keep 
the  work  flat:  this  completes  the  bottom  of  the  bag. 

Crochet  one  plain  row  of  gold;  and,  in  the  next  row,  insert 
one  stitch  of  white  silk  between  each  five  stitches  of  the  gold. 
In  the  next  row,  there  will  be  three  white  and  three  of  gold ; 
and  in  the  next,  five  of  white  and  one  of  gold.  These  four 
rows  will  form  a Vandyke  pattern. 

Crochet  one  plain  row  of  white,  one  plain  row  of  gold,  then 
two  plain  rows  of  blue,  after  which  commence  the  following  pat- 
tern on  the  blue  ground. 


The  hexagonal  figure  is  to  be  worked  in  gold;  the  group  of 
stars  in  white.  Finish  the  bag  with  two  or  three  plain  rows  of 
blue  and  white. 

AN  OPEN  CROCHET  BAG  IN  CHENILLE. 

Make  a chain  of  six  loops,  and  unite  both  ends.  Crochet  in 

rows  to  form  a round,  increasing  a sufficient  number  of  stitches 

16 


106 


CROCHET. 


in  each  row  to  keep  the  work  flat,  until  fourteen  rows  are  finished, 
which  forms  the  bottom  of  the  bag. 

ommence  a Vandyke  pattern,  by  making  one  stitch  of  gold  to 
every  fifth  of  the  coloured  ground,  in  the  first  row.  In  the  next 
row,  three  stitches  of  gold,  and  three  of  the  ground  ; in  the  next, 
five  of  the  gold,  and  one  of  the  ground.  The  two  next  rows 
are  to  be  plain ; the  first  of  gold,  the  second  of  black. 

Work  two  rows  of  open  crochet  in  the  same  colour,  but  the 
second  row  should  be  of  a lighter  shade  than  the  first. 

Two  rows  of  black,  wTith  one  row  of  gold  between,  are  then  to 
be  worked  in  plain  crochet,  which,  repeated  alternately  with  the 
two  rows  of  open  crochet,  complete  the  bag. 

About  sixteen  skeins  of  chenille,  and  twenty-four  yards  of 
gold  cord,  will  be  required. 

OTHER  PATTERNS  FOR  BAGS 

\ 

Either  square  or  round  bags  may  also  be  worked  in  crochet 
silk,  with  coloured  stripes,  arranged  perpendicularly,  with  small 
patterns  of  steel  or  gold  on  each  alternate  colour,  for  which  the 
annexed  designs  will  be  found  suitable.  Gold  cord,  if  preferred, 
may  be  used  in  the  place  of  beads. 


No.  14. 


CROCHET. 


IG7 


No.  16. 


A GREEK  CAP  IN  CROCHET  SILK. 

Commence  at  the  top  with  a chain  of  fourteen  stitches,  unite 
the  ends,  and  crochet  one  plain  row.  On  the  next  row,  make  a 
raised  or  dividing  line  on  every  other  stitch,  as  for  the  bottoms 
of  bags.  The  increasing  must  be  continued  until  the  diameter  of 
the  circle  is  about  six  inches  and  a half.  Work  plain  rows 
round  this,  until  the  cap  is  sufficiently  deep ; occasional  increasing 
stitches  may  be  made  if  it  be  not  large  enough. 

The  cap  is  to  be  finished  with  a double  gold  braid,  which  meets 
the  points  of  the  increasing  lines,  with  a gold  band  round  the 
bottom,  and  a handsome  tassel  at  the  top;  or  silk  trimmings  may 
be  substituted.  They  require  to  be  very  neatly  made  up  in  the 
inside. 

A GREEK  CAP  IN  COARSE  CHENILLE 

Commence  at  the  top  with  a chain  of  six  or  eight  stitches; 
unite  the  ends,  and  work  in  rows  round  and  round,  increasing  a 
sufficient  number  of  stitches  in  each  row  to  keep  the  work  flat, 
until  it  be  about  eight  inches  in  diameter.  The  sides  may  be 


168 


CROCHET. 


worked  in  open  crochet,  introducing  a few  plain  lines  of  black 
and  gold  between  each  two  rows  of  the  open  crochet. 

The  best  colours  for  a cap  in  chenille  are  black  and  gold — 
dark  blue,  black,  and  gold — and  claret,  black,  and  gold. 

A PEN-WIPER  IN  PLAIN  CROCHET. 

Commence  with  a chain  of  about  six  stitches  of  plain  green 
netting  silk,  and  crochet  both  ends  together;  work  three  plain 
rows  of  green,  and  then  one  row  of  alternate  stitches  of  drab 
and  green. 

The  drab  silk  will  now  form  the  ground  on  which  the  star  pat- 
tern of  green  is  to  be  worked.  Crochet  a row  with  two  stitches 
of  green  and  two  of  drab  alternately  ; in  the  next  row,  two  of 
drab  and  three  of  green.  This  is  to  be  continued  one  row  after 
another,  increasing  one  stitch  in  the  green  pattern  every  time 
that  colour  is  repeated  in  each  row,  until  it  counts  eight  stitches 
in  each  division,  taking  care  to  keep  the  two  drab  stitches  of  the 
ground  exactly  over  each  other. 

The  pattern  is  now  to  be  decreased  by  working  four  stitches 
of  drab  and  five  of  green;  in  the  next  row,  seven  of  drab  and 
three  of  green ; and  in  the  next,  eleven  of  drab  and  one  of  green. 

Work  two  plain  rows  of  drab,  increasing  a sufficient  number 
of  stitches  to  keep  the  work  Hat,  and  finish  with  a kind  of 
fringe  formed  by  two  rows  of  open  crochet  in  green. 

A CROCHET  NECK  CHAIN. 

The  chain  is  made  by  commencing  with  five  plain  stitches, 
then  putting  the  needle  through  the  back  of  the  second  stitch, 
and  making  one  plain  stitch.  It  will  be  found,  by  twisting  the 


CROCHET. 


169 


chain  after  every  stitch,  that  one  stitch  appears  to  go  across, 
which  is  the  stitch  that  is  always  to  be  taken  and  crocheted. 


A PLAIN  PURSE  IN  CROCHET. 

Plain  crochet-purses  are  exceedingly  strong,  and  may  be  made 
very  prettily  with  a moderate  sized  netting  silk.  Those  worked 
in  rows  of  the  length  of  the  purse  are  the  most  easily  made. 

Make  a chain  in  scarlet  netting  silk  of  one  hundred  and 
forty  stitches,  on  which  crochet  three  plain  rows  in  the  same 
colour.  Then  five  plain  rows  in  shade  of  green,  or  stone  colours. 
These  two  stripes  are  to  be  repeated  until  the  purse  is  of  a suffi- 
cient width.  When  completed,  it  is  to  be  neatly  sewn  up,  or 
joined  by  crocheting  the  two  sides  together.  The  ends  are  then 
to  be  drawn  up  and  the  purse  trimmed. 

A PLAIN  CROCHET  PURSE  WITH  SQUARE  AND  ROUND  ENDS. 

Commence  with  a chain  of  fourteen  stitches,  and  joining  both 
ends  together,  crochet  one  plain  row  all  round.  In  the  next  row 
every  alternate  stitch  is  to  be  made  a dividing  or  seam-stitch, 
which  is  done  by  passing  the  needle  under  both  the  correspond- 
ing loops  in  the  first  row,  and  making  two  stitches  in  the  same 
place.  This  dividing  stitch  is  to  be  repeated  in  the  same  place 
on  each  row,  until  ten  rows  are  worked,  when  a sufficient  num- 
ber of  plain  rows  are  to  be  crocheted  according  to  the  length 
of  the  purse,  until  the  side  opening  commences. 

The  opening  of  the  purse  is  made  by  crocheting  plain  rows 
alternately  from  right  to  left,  and  from  left  to  right:  when  a 

sufficient  number  of  these  are  done  : — 

16* 


170 


CROCHET. 


The  plain  rows  are  again  to  be  worked  to  correspond  with 
the  former  part,  but  instead  of  the  round  end  it  is  to  be  left 
square,  and  sewn  up,  with  a tassel  at  either  corner. 


A PLAIN  OPEN  CROCHET  PURSE. 

Make  a chain  of  one  hundred  and  sixty,  or  one  hundred  and 
seventy  stitches  ; to  the  last  stitch  of  this  crochet  five  stitches, 
which  again  crochet  to  the  fifth  stitch  of  the  chain  : repeat  this 
the  whole  length  of  the  foundation,  and  return  the  row  in  the 
same  way  by  attaching  every  fifth  stitch  to  the  centre  stitch  of 
each  loop  of  the  last  row  ; the  whole  of  the  purse  is  to  be  con- 
tinued in  the  same  way,  but  it  may  be  varied,  according  to  taste? 
by  using  two  or  more  colours.  When  the  purse  is  worked  to 
the  size  desired,  cut  a piece  of  stiff  card-board,  and  sew  the  purse 
firmly  to  it,  the  wrong  side  outwards  ; damp  it  with  a little 
water,  allowing  it  to  remain  until  it  is  dry  : this  will  stretch  the 
purse,  and  bring  all  the  stitches  into  their  proper  places  and  tighten 
them.  Then  having  sewn  or  crocheted  up  the  sides,  draw  in  the 
ends  and  put  on  the  trimmings. 

A SHORT  CROCHET  PURSE. 

Commence  at  the  bottom  with  a chain  of  fourteen  stitches,  unite 
both  ends,  and  work  round  and  round  increasing  by  means  of 
dividing  lines,  until  a flat  circle  of  about  two  inches  in  diameter 
be  formed.  On  this,  work  plain  rows  until  the  purse  be  about 
three  inches  in  length.  It  must  then  be  exactly  divided,  and  each 
side  worked  backwards  and  forwards  for  about  eight  rows,  or  what- 
ever is  sufficient  for  the  depth  of  the  snap.  The  pine  pattern,  No. 


CROCHET. 


171 


11.  and  the  usual  Vandyke . are  suitable  for  short  purses.  About 
one  hundred  and  twenty  stitches  will  form  a good-sized  purse. 

A SPRIGGED  PURSE  IN  OPEN  AND  PLAIN  CROCHET. 

Commence  with  one  row  of  open  crochet,  in  gold  coloured  silk; 
work  a row  of  plain  crochet  with  blue  and  gold  colour  alternately, 
every  two  stitches,  and  then  one  row  of  plain  blue. 

The  next,  or  fourth  row — is  formed  alternately  of  two  stitches 
of  scarlet,  and  five  of  blue. 

The  fifth  row-four  stitches  of  blue,  and  five  of  white, 
alternately. 

The  sixth  row — four  stitches  of  blue,  and  four  of  stone  colour. 

The  seventh  row — five  stitches  of  blue,  and  two  of  pink. 

The  eighth  row — plain  blue. 

The  ninth  row — blue  and  gold  colour  alternately,  as  in  the 
third  row. 

The  tenth,  eleventh,  and  twelfth  rows— in  open  crochet,  in  gold 
colour. 

Repeat  the  above,  commencing  as  at  second  row. 

OPEN  CROCHET  STITCH. 

The  stitch  of  open  crochet  is  worked  (as  nearly  as  we  can 
describe)  as  follows  : — make  a chain  of  the  length  required  ; 
work  one  plain  stitch  at  the  beginning.  Bring  the  silk  round 
the  needle,  and  pass  the  needle  through  the  first  loop  of  the 
chain  ; through  this  bring  the  silk,  which  makes  three  stitches 
on  the  needle  ; draw  the  silk  through  the  two  first  stitches, 
which  leaves  two  on  the  needle  ; then  draw  the  silk  through 
these  two.  which  leaves  one  on  the  needle  ; through  this  one, 


172 


CROCHET. 


make  one  plain  stitch.  Put  the  silk  over  the  needle,  and 
bring  it  through  the  fourth  loop  of  the  chain  ; the  three  stitches, 
as  before,  will  now  be  found  on  the  needle  ; draw  the  silk 
through  the  two  first,  which  leaves  two  on  the  needle  ; draw 
the  silk  through  these  two,  which  finishes  the  stitch,  and  leaves 
one  upon  the  needle  as  before.  The  plain  stitch  that  is  then 
made  between  the  two  double  stitches,  allows  for  the  stitch 
which  was  passed  in  the  chain,  and  leaves  an  open  space. 

This  open  crochet  stitch  is  varied  by  making  the  two  long 
stitches  together, — which  is  done  by  omitting  the  single  stitch, 
and  passing  the  needle  through  the  next  loop  of  the  chain,  in- 
stead of  missing  one  stitch, — thus  producing  two  stitches  together, 
and  then  an  open  space.  This  is  called  double  ojpen  crochet . 

It  may  also  be  varied  by  making  three  stitches  successively, 
without  making  any  plain  stitch,  which  produces  alternate  squares 
of  open  space  and  stitches.  This  is  generally  termed  treble  open 
crochet ; and  beads  may  be  introduced  on  it  with  very  good  effect 
in  the  following  manner  : — let  the  beads  be  threaded  on  the  silk, 
and  pass  one  on  the  middle  stitch  of  the  three  double  stitches, 
which  gives  a bead  in  the  centre  of  each  square.  This  stitch 
makes  a very  pretty  purse. 

A PURSE  WITH  BEADS,  IN  PLAIN  AND  OPEN  CROCHET. 

Make  a star  bottom  with  steel  beads  (as  directed,  page  162), 
of  fine  netting  silk,  of  a dark  emerald  green.  Work  three  rows 
of  open  crochet  in  a light  green, — then  either  of  the  annexed 
patterns  on  the  dark  green  ground,  as  follows: — 


CROCHET. 


173 


The  pattern  in  steel  beads.  The  ground  of  the  pattern  itself 
- -ponceau. 

Work  two  rows  of  open  crochet  in  light  green.  Repeat  the 
pattern,  with  two  more  rows  of  open  crochet.  This  completes 
the  end  of  the  purse. 

The  centre  is  to  be  in  piain  crochet. 

V 

AN  ELEGANT  CR  <HET  PURSE  WITH  GOLD. 

Commence  with  one  rov  of  open  crochet,  the  length  of  the 
purse,  in  fine  white  netting  si±k.  Then,  one  row  of  plain  crochet, 
in  aHernate  stitches,  of  white  and  full  blue,  or  white  and  ponceau. 


No.  19 


WorK  the  above  pattern  in  gold,  on  the  blue  or  ponceau 
ground. 

Three  rows  of  open  crochet  in  white. 

Repeat  the  pattern  and  open  crochet  alternately. 


174 


CROCHET. 


When  the  purse  is  finished,  it  will  be  found  that  there  are 
nnly  two  rows  of  open  crochet  where  it  is  joined,  but  this  cannot 
be  avoided. 

The  same  pattern  may  also  be  worked  in  gold  or  steel  beads, 
but  it  will  then  be  advisable  to  omit  the  pattern  in  the  centre  of 
the  purse.  An  additional  colour  may  be  introduced,  with  very 
good  effect,  on  the  ground  between  the  beads.  In  a moderate 
sized  purse,  the  pattern  will  be  repeated  seven  times  in  the  length. 
A few  plain  stitches  at  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  purse  will  be 
desirable. 

PLAIN  DOUBLE  STITCH  CROCHET  PURSE,  PINE  PATTERN. 

Commence  with  a chain  of  six  stitches  in  ponceau,  unite  the 
ends,  and  crochet  round  one  plain  row.  Work  sixteen  plain 
rows,  increasing  on  each  row  as  usual.  There  should  be  ninety- 
one  stitches  on  the  last  row.  Form  a Vandyke , by  working 

First  row — three  stitches  ponceau,  one  drab. 

Second  row — one  stitch  ponceau,  three  drab. 

Crochet  two  plain  rows  of  drab, — then  commence  with  the 
following  pattern  in  ponceau,  on  the  drab  ground,  working  three 
pines  in  height,  and  seven  in  each  row  ; — eight  plain  stitches  be- 
tween each  pine. 


No.  20. 


CROCHET, 


175 


The  opening  of  the  purse,  is  worked  as  usual, — backwards  and 
forwards,  with  a pattern,  formed  by  working  eleven  stitches  on 
each  side  of  the  opening  in  ponceau,  in  every  two  alternate  rows. 

Finish  the  other  end  of  the  purse  as  above,  reversing  the 
pattern. 

PLAIN  AND  OPEN  CROCHET  PURSE. 

Commence  with  one  row  of  open  crochet,  in  fine  green  netting 
silk  ; then  work, — 

Five  plain  rows  in  shades  of  scarlet,  from  black  to  ponceau. 
On  the  second  row,  work  two  stitches  with  gold  beads  between 
every  six  stitches.  On  the  second  row,  two  steel  beads,  on  the 
third  row,  two  gold  beads,  in  the  following  position  : — 


It  will  take  five  skeins  of  ponceau  silk,  one  of  black,  and  two 
of  green,  to  form  a purse  about  nine  inches  in  length 

ANOTHER  PLAIN  AND  OPEN  CROCHET  PURSE. 


Commence  with  two  rows  of  open  crochet,  in  fine  netting  silk, 
of  a dead  gold  colour.  Then  six  rows  of  plain  crochet  in 
three  distinct  shades  of  blue, — on  which  the  above  sprig  pattern 


176 


CROCHET. 


may  be  worked  in  beads,  the  three  first  rows  in  gold  beads, 
the  two  last  in  steel  beads,  commencing  in  the  second  row  of* 
the  blue.  Then, — 

Three  rows  of  open  crochet  in  the  gold  colour. 

Seven  rows  of  black,  with  the  Grecian  border  in  ponceau,  to 
form  a stripe. 

Repeat  the  three  rows  of  open  crochet  in  gold  colour,  and  com- 
mence again  with  the  blue  stripe  as  before. 

The  purse  should  be  about  nine  inches  in  length.  It  will  take 
three  skeins  of  blue  silk,  two  of  gold  colour,  one  of  black,  and 
.one  of  ponceau.  The  silk  should  be  fine. 

A BRIDAL  PURSE. 

Work  one  row  the  length  of  the  purse,  in  treble  open  crochet, 
with  fine  white  netting  silk.  Then — one  row  in  plain  crochet, 

of  three  alternate  stitches  of  ponceau  and  gold. 


No.  22. 


Crochet  eleven  rows  in  wThite,  with  the  above  pattern  in  gold 
passing. 

Repeat  the  row  of  ponceau  and  gold, — then  one  row  of  treble 
open  crochet  in  white,  and  one  row  of  treble  open  crochet  in 
ponceau,  and  again  in  white. 

Repeat  the  pattern,  etc.  and  when  the  purse  is  of  a sufficient 
width,  finish  with  one  row  of  treble  open  crochet  in  white. 


CROCHET. 


177 


Crochet  up  the  two  sides  with  ponceau  to  the  opening,  round 
which  work  one  plain  row  in  ponceau,  to  strengthen  the  purse, 
and  give  uniformity. 

If  intended  for  ordinary  use,  black  or  claret  silk  may  be  sub- 
stituted for  the  white. 


The  above  patterns  are  adapted  for  short  purses  or  bags  in 
any  bright  coloured  silk,  with  gold  cord  or  passing;  the  bot- 
toms may  be  square,  with  a fringe  of  gold  beads  as  a finish. 
The  border  pattern,  No.  24,  is  to  be  placed  at  the  bottom,  with 
the  Vandyke  pattern  above,  over  the  whole  of  the  other  part. 

If  worked  for  a purse,  the  silk  must  be  fine;  if  for  a bag, — 
coarse  netting  silk ; the  gold  cord  or  passing,  being  of  an  equal 
size. 


17 


178 


CROCTTET. 


A baby’s  cradle  cover,  or  a carriage  wrapper. 


No.  25. 

In  blue  and  white  six-thread  lleecy,  with  a large  ivory  needle. 
Make  a chain  of  the  required  length,  and  crochet  two  plain  rows 
of  white  ground.  In  the  next  row,  commence  the  above  pattern, 
to  form  the  border  in  blue  on  the  white  ground.  This  border 
is  so  designed,  that  the  pattern  can  be  made  perfect  at  the  cor- 
ners by  simply  continuing  it  at  the  sides,  each  row  of  the  side 
border  being  worked  at  the  same  time  with  that  of  the  centre. 
The  centre  is  composed  of  the  annexed  pattern. 


No.  2G. 


This  covering  can  be  worked  either  square  or  in  a long  square. 
It  will  be  exceedingly  warm  and  useful  as  an  open  carriage 
wrapper,  when  scarlet  and  drab,  or  blue  and  claret  lleecy  may  be 


CROCHET. 


179 


used.  For  either  of  these  purposes,  the  crocheting  should  be 
done  lightly  and  loosely,  with  a very  large  needle.  When  worked 
for  mats  or  rugs,  eight-thread  fleecy  is  preferable,  and  the  crochet- 
ing should  be  done  as  tightly  as  convenient. 

ANOTHER  SQUARE  PATTERN  WITH  A BORDER. 


No.  28. 


These  patterns  may  be  worked  very  prettily — the  first  for  the 
border,  the  other  for  the  centre — the  ground  of  both  being  drab. 
Every  other  star  in  the  border  is  gold  colour,  the  alternate  stars 
being  blue  and  crimson,  those  parts  marked  white  in  the  engrav- 
ing being  black.  In  the  centre,  the  small  stars  are  all  gold 
colour,  the  larger  figures  alternately  crimson  and  blue. 

In  working,  the  gold-coloured  wool,  both  in  the  border  and 
centre  is  to  be  carried  through  the  whole  piece,  but  the  blue 
and  crimson  stars  may  be  introduced  in  short  lengths,  the  ends 
of  which  must  be  run  in  at  the  back  of  the  work*  or  it  may 
be  lined  with  silk. 


180 


CROCHET. 


Two  rows  of  open  crochet,  in  black  are  to  be  worked  round 
the  whole  square  when  finished. 

The  stars  may  be  crocheted  in  one  shade  of  each  colour;  but 
it  will  be  prettier,  and  quite  as  easy,  to  work  them  in  various 
shades. 

A ROUND  d’oYLEY  OR  MAT. 

Commence  with  a chain  of  six  stitches,  in  black  eight-thread 
fleecy.  Unite  both  ends.  Crochet  all  round,  increasing  in  every 
stitch  for  the  first  row. 

The  pattern  may  be  formed  in  three  shades  of  scarlet  on  a 
blue  ground  of  three  shades ; the  darkest  shade  of  the  scarlet 
being  on  the  lightest  shade  of  the  blue. 

Second  row — is  one  stitch  of  dark  scarlet,  and  two  stitches 
of  light  blue  alternately;  forming  the  commencement  of  a star 
of  six  points. 

Third  row — three  stitches  of  the  dark  scarlet,  and  two  of  the 
blue. 

Fourth  row — five  stitches  of  a lighter  shade  of  scarlet,  and 
two  of  the  blue. 

Fifth  row — five  stitches  of  the  lighter  scarlet,  and* three  of  the 
second  shade  of  blue. 

Sixth  row — three  stitches  of  the  lightest  scarlet,  and  six  of 
the  second  blue. 

Eighth  row — one  stitch  of  the  lightest  scarlet,  and  eight  of  the 
darkest  blue. 

Ninth  row — one  plain  row  of  the  darkest  blue. 

Three  plain  rows  of  black  finishes  the  D’Oyley. 

In  every  row,  increasing  stitches  are  to  be  made  in  the  blue* 
and  also  in  the  plain  rows  of  black. 


CROCHET. 


181 


TRAVELLING  BAGS. 

Travelling  bags  worked  in  eight-thread  fleecy  are  very  strong. 
They  may  be  mounted  in  the  same  manner  as  the  usual  carpet 
bags.  Any  of  the  patterns  we  have  given  will  be  suitable. 

EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS  USED  IN  CROCHET. 

v * 

Plain  crochet — where  one  loop  only  is  made  in  each  stitch. 
It  is  used  for  the  commoner  kind  of  purses. 

Plain  double  crochet — where  two  loops  are  kept  on  the  needle 
before  the  stitch  is  finished.  This  is  the  crochet  stitch  generally 
practised,  and  that  used  for  working  table-covers,  etc. 

Double  stitch  crochet.-—  In  this,  both  meshes  of  the  chain  are 
taken.  It  is  principally  employed  for  the  soles  of  shoes,  and 
where  extra  thickness  is  required,  but  it  is  not  suitable  for  work- 
ing patterns. 

Plain  stitch  elastic  crochet — -is  worked  alternately  in  rows  back- 
wards and  forwards,  first  -taking  the  upper,  then  the  under  mesh 
of  the  chain. 

Plain  stitch  open  crochet — as  described  at  page  170.  It  is 
used  for  purses. 

Open  crochet — as  described  at  page  171.  It  is  suitable  for 
purses,  bags,  etc. 

Double  open  crochet — suitable  for  bags,  purses,  etc.:  see  page  172. 

Treble  open  crochet — as  described  page  172. 

To  make  a stitch — at  the  commencement  and  end  of  a row,  is 
to  make  one  stitch  of  a chain  before  the  first  stitch,  and  after 
the  last,  which  in  the  next  row  are  to  be  crocheted. 

A dividing , or  seam  stitch — called  also  a raised  stitch,  is  made 

by  putting  the  needle  through  both  meshes  of  the  chain,  and 

17* 


182 


CROCHET. 


working  two  stitches  in  the  same  hole.  These  stitches  must 
always  be  made  exactly  over  each  other.  In  crocheting  circles, 
they  form  a kind  of  star  pattern,  and  serve  the  purpose  of  in- 
creasing stitches.  They  should  not  be  employed  when  working 
with  chenille . 

To  increase  a stitch — to  make  two  stitches  in  the  same  mesh. 

To  decrease — to  take  two  stitches  together  or  to  miss  one  stitch. 
Decreasing  is  always  done  in  the  same  ratio  as  increasing. 

True , or  perfect  stitch — when  working  in  different  colours,  the 
keeping  the  stitches  directly  over  each  other,  without  any  appear- 
ance of  the  half-stitch.  This  requires  care,  but  it  greatly  adds 
to  the  beauty  of  the  work,  and  makes  the  pattern  more  distinct. 

To  fasten  off- — to  draw  the  wool  through  the  last  stitch. 

To  fasten  on — Lay  the  ends  of  the  wool  contrariwise,  and 
crochet  a few  stitches  with  both,  or  work  in  the  second  wool, 
and  run  the  end  in  with  a needle  at  the  back  of  the  work. 

To  run  the  ends — to  pass  them  down  a few  stitches  with  a 
needle.  This  is  the  neatest  and  strongest  plan  ; but  they  may 
be  tied  and  cut  off. 

A dividing  line — generally  formed  of  two  stitches  alternately 
up  and  down,  into  the  grounds  of  the  stripes  on  either  side. 


HINTS  ON  CROCHET. 

A steel  crochet  needle  is  generally  advisable; — with  expert 
workers  it  makes  the  most  even  stitches,  but  an  ivory  needle  is 
easier  to  work  with. 

The  second  sized  netting  silk  is  prettiest  for  purses. 

The  coarsest  or  crochet  silk  is  best  adapted  for  bags,  with  steel 
or  gold  beads. 


CROCHET. 


183 


Where  many  colours  are  required  in  a pattern,  and  the  same 
not  very  frequently  occur,  it  is  advisable  to  introduce  them 
m short  lengths  instead  of  carrying  on  each  thread.  This 
should  always  be  attended  to  when  working  with  chenille. 

When  beads  are  used,  they  are  to  be  strung  on  the  silk  with 
a needle. 

The  average  number  of  stitches  for  the  length  of  a purse,  in 
fine  silk,  is  one  hundred  and  sixty.  In  coarse  silk,  one  hundred 
and  ten. 

From  ninety  to  one  hundred  stitches  form  the  circle  of  a purse 
in  fine  silk. 

One  hundred  and  thirty  stitches  may  be  taken  for  the  round 
of  a bag  in  crochet  silk. 

A table-cover  in  six-thread  fleecy,  is  generally  computed  at 
about  four  hundred  stitches  in  length. 

Borders  of  flowers  may  be  worked  in  crochet,  but  it  would  be 
impossible  to  convey  a complete  idea  even  to  the  most  experienced 
worker,  unless  accompanied  with  coloured  patterns,  which  the 
nature  of  our  illustrations  preclude  us  from  offering.  But  the 
expert  needlewoman  will  soon  perceive  the  best  method  of  copying 
any  pattern  of  this  description  she  may  desire. 


CHAPTER  X\  il 


Enitting. 


“Those  curious  nets  thy  slender  fingers  knit.” 

Waller. 

“And  between  the  knyttynges  flowers  of  golde.” 

Hall’s  Chronicle. 

NITTING  was  unknown  in  England  until  the 
middle  of  the  sixteenth  century.*  It  is  said, 
that  one  William  Rider,  an  apprentice  on  Lon- 
don-bridge,  seeing  at  the  house  of  an  Italian 
merchant,  a pair  of  knit  worsted  stockings  from 
Mantua,  took  the  hint,  and  made  a similar  pair 
which  he  presented  to  William,  Earl  of  Pembroke,  in  1564,  and 


* In  the  Rowleian  forgeries,  by  Chatterton,  “ the  marvellous  boy,”  as  Words- 
worth designates  him,  the  following  verse  occurs;  it  is  part  of  the  “Myn- 
6trelle’s  Songe,  tie  Syr  Thybbot  Gorges,”  in  the  “ Tragycal  Enterlude  of 
iEHa.” 


KNITTING. 


185 


that  these  were  the  first  of  the  kind  made  in  England.*  * We  learn 
from  Howell,  that  Henry  VIII  commonly  wore  cloth  hose,f  except 
there  came  from  Spain  by  great  chance,  a pair  of  knit  silk  stock- 
ings : and  when  his  son  Edward  VI  was  presented  with  a pair 
of  long  Spanish  silk  stockings,  by  Sir  Thomas  Gresham,  it  was 
deemed  a gift  of  some  importance. 

The  invention  of  knitting  has  generally  been  attributed  to  the 
Spaniards  The  Scots  likewise  lay  some  claim  to  it,  founded 
upon  the  tact,  that  the  first  company  of  stocking-knitters,  established 
at  Paris,  took  St.  Fiacre  for  their  patron,  who  is  said  to  have 
been  the  son  of  one  of  the  kings  of  Scotland.  Be  this  as  it 
may,  it  is  certain  that  the  art  had  been  practised  in  Spain  and 
Italy  prior  to  our  knowledge  of  it  in  England,  but  at  how  early  a 
period  does  not  appear.  Mezerai  says,  that  Henry  II  of  France 
wore  silk  stockings  at  his  sister’s  marriage  to  the  duke  of  Savoy, 
in  1559 — the  first  that  had  been  seen  in  that  country.  In  Eng- 
land, in  1561,  knit  stockings  were  but  little  known,  as  we  then 
find  Queen  Elizabeth’s  silk-woman,  Mistress  Montague,  presenting 
her  majesty  with  a pair4  Knitting,  however,  was  scarcely  in 
use,  ere  the  stocking-frame,  in  a great  measure,  usurped  its  place ; 
yet  it  does,  and  will  doubtless  ever  conspicuously  rank  among 


“ As  Elynour  bie  the  greene  lesselle  was  syttinge, 

As  from  the  sone’s  hete  she  harried, 

She  sayde,  as  herr  whytte  hondes  whyte  hosen  were  knyttinge, 

Whatte  pleasure  ytt  ys  to  be  married ! ” 

The  introduction  of  this  passage  was  one  on  which  some  stress  was  laid  by 
those  who  endeavoured  to  prove  or  disprove  the  authenticity  of  these  literary 
fictions,  from  the  art  of  knitting  not  being  practised  at  so  early  a period, — 
Thomas  Rowley  (as  Chatterton  wished  his  readers  to  believe)  being  a priest 
of  the  fifteenth  century. 

* Anderson’s  “History  of  Commerce,”  vol.  i.  p.  400. 

t The  only  stockings  in  use,  at  this  period,  were  of  cloth,  or  of  milled 
stuff  sewn  together. 

X Vide  chapter  on  Silk,  page  47. 


186 


KNITTING. 


the  domestic  arts  practised  by  the  industrious  poor,  and  “ ever 
and  anon3*  by  ladies,  as  the  voice  of  fashion  calls  its  intricate 
mazes  into  action  for  their  amusement.* 

Knitting  has  long  been  the  friend  of  the  blind,  whose  fingeis 
easily  unravel  its  mysteries,  and  by  their  exercise  alford  solace 
and  amusement  to  their  frequently  too  tedious  hours.  To  the  in- 
digent it  has  given  employment,  and  imparted  what,  to  them,  is 
almost  equal  to  food — warmth:  no  garments  being  so  warm  or 
durable  as  the  knitted.  How  many  ladies  amuse  themselves  in  the 
winter,  in  making  knee-caps,  cuffs,  comforters,  caps,  shawls,  and 
tippets  for  tbs  poor  ? Independently  of  these,  much  knitting  is 
done  as  s source  of  subsistence, — how  useful  and  comfortable  are 
the  knitted  spencer,  the  warm  bonnet-cap,  the  glove  for  practising, 
the  mitt,  and  various  articles  made  for  children’s  wear,  and  now 
more  generally  patronized  and  adopted  than  formerly.  Besides 
the  useful,  what  stores  of  ornamental  articles  does  it  afford!  what 
beautiful  purses,  bags,  and  bead-work  will  knitting  produce ! - and 


* The  stocking-frame  was  invented  in  the  reign  of  queen  Elizabeth,  in  i:k* 
year  1589,  by  William  Lee,  M.A.  of  St.  John’s  College,  Cambridge,  a nntvn 
of  Woodborough,  near  Nottingham.  The  origin  of  this  most  important  db- 
covery  is  singular: — it  is  said  that  Mr.  Lee  was  expelled  the  university  for 
marrying  contrary  to  the  statutes  of  the  college.  Being  thus  rejected,  and 
ignorant  of  any  other  means  of  subsistence,  he  was  reduced  to  the  necessity 
of  living  upon  what  his  wife  could  earn  by  knitting  stockings,  which  gave 
a spur  to  his  invention;  and  by  curiously  observing  the  working  of  the  nee- 
dles in  knitting,  he  formed  in  his  mind  the  model  of  the  frame  which  has 
proved  of  such  important  advantage  to  this  branch  of  English  manufactures 
In  the  frame-work  knitters  or  stocking  weavers’  Hall,  is  a portrait  of  Mr.  Lee 
pointing  to  one  of  his  frames,  and  discoursing  with  a woman,  who  is  knitting 
with  needles  in  the  usual  way.  The  picture  bears  the  following  inscription  : 
“ In  the  year  £589,  the  ingenious  William  Lee,  A.M.  of  St.  John’s  College, 
Cambridge,  devised  this  profitable  art  for  stockings  (but  being  despised  went 
to  France),  yet  df  iron  to  himself,  but  to  us  and  to  others  of  gold,  in  memory 
of  whom  this  is  here  painted.” — Vide  Hutton’s  View  of  London , vol.  ii.  p.  G05. 


KNITTING 


187 


in  the  combination  of  the  two,  we  would  here  mention  the  sur- 
prising and  splendid  specimens  of  knitting  done  by  the  poor  Irish 
cottage  girls,  on  the  estate  of  Lord  de  Vesci,  under  the  kind 
patronage  and  skilful  management  of  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Wingfield, 
whose  beneficent  exertions  have  been  extended  both  to  their  in- 
struction, and  afterwards  to  the  disposal  of  the  labours  of  these 
poor  children : — the  fineness,  variety,  and  perfection,  exhibited  in 
this  knitting,  almost  exceed  belief  as  to  the  possibility  of  its  execu- 
tion by  the  hand. 

So  many  cleverly-written  books  of  instruction,  in  the  art  of 
knitting,  have  of  late  appeared,  that  it  would  be  presumptuous  in 
us  to  hope, — and  far  either  from  our  wish  or  intention, — to  super- 
sede their  use,  or  to  attempt  to  rival  their  ingenuity  : we  would 
rather  humbly  endeavour  to  assist  those,  who  either  have  not 
patience  or  tact  to  follow  the  rules  given  (perhaps  in  some  cases 
with  a little  too  much  technicality),  and  offer  a few  useful  direc- 
tions of  the  simplest  kind,  as  a prelude  to  a better  acquaintance 
with  this  useful  art. 

A VERY  EASY  STITCH  FOR  LIGHT  SCARFS,  SHAWLS,  BABIES, 
QUILTS,  ETC. 

Cast  on  any  number  of  stitches,  with  three-thread  fleecy. — No. 
18  needles. 

First  row — make  one;  knit  two  together;  alternately  to  the 
end  of  the  row. 

Each  succeeding  row  is  merely  a repetition  of  the  first. 

Any  number  of  colours  may  be  introduced  by  working  in 
stripes. 

This  also  forms  a very  pretty  stitch  for  a purse , if  done 
with  silk. 


188 


KNITTING. 


A D’OYLEY. 

Cast  on  any  number  of  stitcbes  that  can  be  divided  by  ten. 
—No.  6 cotton,  and  No.  14  needles. 

First  row — knit  one  ; pearl  nine  ; knit  one  ; pearl  nine  ; and 
so  on,  alternately,  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

Second  row — pearl  one  ; knit  seven  ; pearl  two. 

Third  row — knit  three  ; pearl  five  ; knit  two. 

Fourth  row — pearl  three  ; knit  three  ; pearl  four. 

Fifth  row — knit  five  ; pearl  one  ; knit  four. 

Sixth  row — knit  four  ; pearl  one  ; knit  five. 

Seventh  row — pearl  four  ; knit  three  ; pearl  three. 

Eighth  row — knit  two  ; pearl  five  ; knit  three. 

Ninth  row — pearl  two  ; knit  seven  ; pearl  one. 

Tenth  row — pearl  nine  ; knit  one. 

Commence  again  as  at  first  row. 

CHECKED,  OR  MATTED  PATTERN. 

Cast  on  any  number  of  stitches  that  can  be  equally  divided  by 
six. 

First  row — pearl  three  ; knit  three. 

Second  and  third  rows — repeat  the  first. 

Fourth  row — knit  three  ; pearl  three. 

Fifth  and  sixth  rows — repeat  the  fourth. 

This  stitch  is  pretty  for  children’s  socks,  D’Oyleys,  and  large 
bags  ; — with  very  coarse  wool  it  makes  a good  mat. 

HARLEQUIN  QUILT  WITH  TUFTS. 

This  is  very  pretty,  and  easily  done  in  plain  double  knitting, 
with  six4hread  fleecy,  in  pieces  of  six  inches  square, — each  com- 


KNITTING. 


189 


parfcment  being  about  twenty-four  stitches  each  way  ; when 
finished,  they  are  to  be  sewn  together  with  a tuft  of  black  wool, 
at  the  corner  of  each  square. 

The  tufts  may  be  made  in  the  following  manner  : — take  a 
grooved  wooden  mesh,  an  inch  in  width  ; wind  round  it  four- 
thread  black  fleecy,  about  a dozen  times  : slip  a coarse  thread  in 
the  groove,  and  tie  the  wool  quite  tight,  leaving  an  end  to  it  that 
may  be  drawn  through  and  attached  to  the  quilt  ; cut  the  loops 
of  wool  through  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  mesh,  then  comb  and 
shear  it  neatly. 

For  a quilt  two  yards  and  a half  square,  two  hundred  and 
twenty-five  pieces  will  be  required, — and  if  arranged  according  to 
the  following  plan,  there  will  be  one  hundred  and  thirteen  white, 
fifty-six  blue,  and  fifty-six  scarlet.  It  will  take  two  hundred  and 
fifty-six  tufts.  A fringe,  made  as  directed  at  page  191,  may  be 
added  in  scarlet  or  blue.  The  annexed  plan  is  one  yard  square. 


X > 

White 

? — -> 
Blue 

ip  x 

a 

White 
y x 

g ; 

Scarlet 
y x 

x y 

White 

y x 

x y 

Blue 

y x 

k 

<* 

yfx  p 

Scarlet 

\\P  X 

IX 

White 

y v 

ix  y 

Blue 

y x 

TX  A 

White 

y x 

X p 

Scarlet 

y v 

X 7 

White 

y xi 

X 

y 

pW  P 

White 

rx 

Scarlet 

f * 

X y 

White 

X p 

Blue 

y . xi 

X P 

White 

y xi 

X p\ 

Scarlet 

y x 

> x p 

Blue 

X 

X y 

White 

x pi 

Scarlet 

y x 

x p\ 

White 

y n 

x 71 

Blue 

y xi 

x y 

White 

y x 

X 

y 

yfx  V 

White 

X p 

Blue 

i-  x 

X p\ 

White 

y x 

x >1 

Scarlet 

y x 

X yf 

W~hite 

y x 

x y 

Blue 
y x 

X 

y 

pJ\  7 

Scarlet 

x a 

X y 

White 

k — a 

x y 

Blue 

k a 

x > 

White 

c > 

X p[ 

Scarlet 

k 5 

X P\ 

White 

5 > 

X 

y 

18 


190 


KNITTING. 


TURKISH  KNITTING. 

This  forms  a very  pretty  diamond  pattern,  in  two  colours. 
Needles  pointed  at  either  end,  are  required,  and  two  different 
coloured  wools, — say  white  and  scarlet. 

Cast  on  any  number  of  stitches  that  may  be  divided  by 
three. 

First  row— pearl  knitting,  with  white  5 — make  one  ; slip  one  ; 
knit  two  together ; repeating  the  same  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

Second  row — common  knitting,  with  scarlet ; — slip  one  ; knit 
two ; alternately  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

Third  row — common  knitting,  with  white  ; — make  one  ; slip 
one ; knit  two  together ; repeating  the  same  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

Fourth  row — pearl  knitting,  with  scarlet; — slip  one;  pearl 
two  ; alternately  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

Fifth  row — commence  again  from  the  first  row. 

N.B.  All  the  slip  stitches  are  to  be  taken  off  as  in  pearl  knit- 
ting, from  the  back  of  the  stitch. 

RAISED  KNITTING. 

Two  different-sized  needles  should  be  used,  one  double  the  size 
of  the  other. 

Cast  on  any  even  number  of  stitches  that  may  be  required. 

First  row — with  the  small  needle,  alternately  make  one  stitch, 
and  knit  two  stitches  together. 

Second  row — plain  knitting,  with  large  needle. 

Third  row — plain  knitting,  with  small  needle. 

Fourth  row — pearl  knitting,  with  small  needle. 

Repeat,  from  the  first. 

This  kind  of  knitting  is  well  adapted  for  hoods,  muffs,  cuffs,  &c. 


KNITTING. 


191 


KNITTED  FRINGE. 

This  may  be  made  of  any  sized  wool  or  cotton,  according  to 
the  purpose  for  which  it  is  required  ; it  may  also  be  spaced  with 
two  or  more  colours,  working  alternately  six  stitches  in  each. 

Cast  on  eight  stitches. 

Knit  two  ; make  one  ; knit  two  together  ; knit  one  ; make 
one  ; knit  two  together  ; knit  one. 

When  a sufficient  number  of  rows  are  knitted  to  form  the 
length  of  fringe  desired, — 

Cast  off  five  stitches,  leaving  three  to  unravel  for  the  fringe. 

VANDYKE  BORDER. 

Cast  on  seven  stitches. 

First  and  second  rows — plain  knitting. 

Third  row — slip  one  ; knit  two  ; turn  over,  knit  two  together ; 
turn  over  twice,  knit  two  together. 

Fourth  row — make  one ; knit  two  ; pearl  one  ; knit  two ; turn 
over  ; knit  two  together  ; knit  one. 

Fifth  row — slip  one  ; knit  two  ; turn  over,  knit  two  together  • 
knit  four. 

Sixth  row — knit  six ; turn  over,  knit  two  together ; knit  one. 

Seventh  row — slip  one;  knit  two;  turn  over,  knit  two  together; 
turn  over  twice,  knit  two  together ; turn  over  twice,  knit  two 
together. 

Eighth  row— knit  two ; pearl  one  ; knit  two ; pearl  one ; knit 
two ; turn  over ; knit  two  together ; knit  one. 

Ninth  row — slip  one  ; knit  two ; turn  over,  knit  two  together ; 
turn  over  twice,  knit  two  together ; turn  over  twice,  knit  two 
together. 


192 


KNITTING. 


Tenth  row — knit  two ; pearl  one ; knit  two ; pearl  one  ; knit 
two;  pearl  one;  knit  two;  turn  over,  knit  two  together;  knit  one. 

Eleventh  row — slip  one;  knit  two;  turn  over,  knit  two  together; 
knit  nine. 

Twelfth  row — cast  off  all  but  seven  ; knit  three ; t.irn  over, 
knit  two  together ; knit  one. 

This  finishes  the  first  Vandyke — commence  again  as  at  third 
row. 

This  border  is  generally  knitted  in  cotton,  and  may  be  used 
for  muslin  curtains,  for  knitted  or  netted  fish  napkins,  and  for 
u tidies”  for  the  backs  of  chairs,  or  ends  of  sofas. 

N.B.  By  turn  over,  is  meant  to  bring  the  wool  forward  over 
the  needle. 

A SCALLOPED  FRINGE  OR  BORDER. 

Cast  on  nine  stitches. 

First  row — slip  one;  knit  one;  bring  the  cotton  forward,  knit 
two  together  three  times;  bring  the  cotton  forward,  knit  one. 

Second  row — plain  knitting. 

Repeat  these  two  rows  nine  times,  plain  knitting  the  additional 
stitches. 

Knit  three  plain  rows,  ending  at  the  point;  the  middle  one  cf 
these  will  form  the  first  half  of  the  scallop. 

Make  the  other  half  of  the  scallop,  decreasing  thus: — 

First  row — slip  one ; knit  two  together ; bring  the  cotton  for- 
ward, knit  two  together  four  times ; knit  seven. 

Second  row — plain  knitting. 

Repeat  these  two  rows  alternately,  until  reduced  to  ten  stitches. 

Bring  the  cotton  forward,  knit  two  together  three  times ; when 
there  will  be  the  same  number  of  stitches  as  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  scallop 


KNITTING. 


193 


Knit  three  plain  rows. 

Commence  another  scallop  as  before. 

ANOTHER  KNITTED  FRINGE. 

Cast  on  nine  or  twelve  stitches,  according  to  the  depth  of  the 
fringe  required. 

Slip  one ; knit  two ; bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  two  together ; 
knit  one ; bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  two  together ; knit  one  ; 
repeat,  until  it  be  of  the  desired  length : then — 

Cast  off  five  stitches  and  unravel  the  others  to  form  the  fringe. 

A SPACED  FRINGE  FOR  A CROCHET  TABLE 
COVER,  ETC. 

Take  three  skeins  of  the  same  wool  as  that  of  the  table  cover 
— white,  blue,  and  red ; cut  them  into  lengths  of  about  seven 
inches,  two  of  which  are  to  be  knitted  into  the  fringe  at  the  same 
time.  Each  space  is  composed  of  four  double  stitches,  or  eight 
rows  of  knitting.  The  depth  of  the  fringe,  including  the  head, 
is  rather  more  than  four  inches. 

Cast  on  eight  stitches  in  dark  claret,  which  forms  the  head. 

First  row — slip  one ; bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  two  together ; 
knit  one.  Take  two  lengths  of  the  fringe  wool,  and  place  be- 
tween the  needles;  knit  one;  bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  one; 
pass  the  fringe  wool  back,  knit  one;  bring  the  wool  forward, 
knit  one. 

Second  row — plain  knitting. 

KNITTED  INSERTION. 

Cast  on  nine  stitches ; slip  one ; knit  two  together ; bring  the 


KNITTING. 


cotton  forward,  knit  two  together;  knit  one;  bring  the  cotton  for- 
ward, knit  two  together. 

This  may  be  used  for  trimming  muslin  curtains,  etc. 


BONNETS  DE  NUIT  d’hOMMES. 

Ce  bonnet  se  commence  avec  six  aiguilles  et  une  de  rechange. 
Sur  chacune  se  trouvent  quarante  six  a cinquante  mailles,  lorsque 
le  coton  est  fin.  Les  trois  ou  quatre  premiers  tours  se  font  a 
l’envers ; les  deux  suivants,  qui  se  trouvent  dans  le  bord,  consistent 
en  trous  semblables  a des  crochets,  dans  lesquels  on  fait  passer  un 
ruban  pour  affermir  le  bonnet.  L’on  tricote  encore  une  Stendue 
de  deux  pouces,  pour  former  le  reste  du  bord,  qui  s’appelle  re- 
troussis:  ce  reste  consiste  dans  de  petites  c6tes,  qu’on  obtient  en 
tricotant  alternativement  quatre  a cinq  mailles  unies,  et  quatre  a 
cinq  autres,  dont  une  sur  deux  doit  etre  a l’envers.  Yient  en- 
suite  une  rangee  de  trous  ronds  ou  en  forme  de  crochet,  qui 
servent  a regler  le  rempli  du  bonnet.  II  faut  tricoter  ensuite  le 
bonnet  et  a l’envers,  parce  que  sans  cela  le  retroussis  seroit  a 
l’envers.  Tout  fouvrage,  ainsi  que  les  ornements  se  continuent 
interieurement.  Le  bonnet  etant  fini,  on  le  retourne,  afin  que 
Fendroit  soit  en  dehors.  Le  retroussis  qui  se  trouve  a Fenvers, 
est  remis  a l’endroit  par  le  rempli  qu’on  y fait 

DOUBLE  NIGHT  CAP. 

Five  needles  are  required. 

Cast  on  two  stitches  on  each  of  the  four  needles. 

First  row — increase  two  plain  stitches,  on  each  needle. 

Second  row — increase  one  plain  stitch  on  each  needle. 


KNITTING. 


195 


Third  row — Seam  the  centre  stitch  on  each  needle,  and  increase 
on  either  side  of  it,  every  alternate  row,  until  the  cap  is  suffi- 
ciently wide. 

Fourth  row — plain  knit  every  row,  until  the  cap  is  about 
twenty-six  inches  in  length. 

Fifth  row — decrease  every  alternate  row,  and  seam  the  centre 
stitch  of  each  needle,  so  as  to  correspond  with  the  increasing  at 
the  commencement. 


OPERA  CAP. 


This  is  prettiest  in  double  German  wool,  but  three-thread  fleecy 
may  be  used. 

Cast  on  seventy-four  stitches,  white. 

Pearl  one  row, 

Knit  one  row, 


white. 


196 


KNITTING. 


Pearl  one  row,  coloured. 

Bring  the  wool  before  the  needle,  and  knit  two  stitches  together. 

Pearl  one  row,  / 

> white. 

Knit  one  row,  > 

Pearl  one  row,  ) . . 

V white. 

Knit  one  row,  \ 

The  above  forms  the  border. 

First  division — coloured. 

Pearl  one  row. 

Knit  one  row,  decreasing  one  stitch  at  each  end. 

Knit  one  row. 

Knit  a fancy  row,  by  taking  two  stitches  together,  keeping  the 
wool  before  the  needle. 

Second — white. 

Pearl  one  row,  decreasing  one  stitch  at  each  end. 

Knit  one  row,  decreasing  two  stitches  at  each  end. 

Knit  one  row,  decreasing  one  stitch  at  each  end. 

Knit  a fancy  row  as  before. 

Third — coloured. 

Pearl  one  row,  decreasing  one  stitch  at  each  end. 

Knit  one  row,  decreasing  one  stitch  at  each  end. 

Knit  one  row,  without  decreasing. 

Knit  a fancy  row  as  before. 

Fourth,  Fifth,  Sixth,  Seventh — 

The  third  division  to  be  repeated,  alternately  with  white  and 
coloured  wool. 


KNITTING. 


197 


Eighth — white.  Ninth — coloured. 

In  these  two  last  divisions,  only  two  stitches  are  to  be  de- 
creased in  each ; this  is  to  be  done  in  the  row  after  the  pearl, 
decreasing  one  stitch  at  each  end. 

N.B.  There  should  be  forty  stitches  left  on  the  needle  in  the 
last  row.* 

Pick  up  thirty  stitches  on  each  side,  and  make  the  borders  at 
the  sides  and  back  like  the  first. 

Make  up  the  cap  by  turning  in  the  border  to  the  fancy  row, 
and  hem  it  all  round : it  is  to  be  tied  behind,  and  under  the 

chin,  with  ribbons  or  plaited  wool,  with  tassels  of  the  same. 

BAREGE  KNITTING  FOR  SHAWLS. 

Commence  with  any  number  of  stitches  that  may  be  divided 
by  three,  and  knit  one  plain  row. 

Second  row — knit  three  : bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  three 
together,  taking  them  off  at  the  back;  bring  the  wool  forward, 
knit  three. 

Third  row — pearl  knitting. 

Fourth  row — repeat  the  second  row, — except  that  it  is  to  be 
commenced  by  knitting  three  together  and  then  knitting  the 
three  plain  stitches. 

Fifth  row — pearl  knitting. 

N.B.  In  repeating  the  second  and  fourth  rows,  they  must 
always  be  commenced  alternately  with  three  plain  stitches, — knit- 
ting three  stitches  together. 

When  a pattern  in  one  or  more  colours  is  to  be  introduced, 
break  off  the  ground  colour,  and  the  colour  then  to  be  used  is  to 

* If  the  pins  are  small,  commence  with  eighty  stitches ; then,  there  should 
be  forty-six  stitches  on  the  needle  instead  of  forty. 


198 


KNITTING. 


be  fastened  on  in  the  following  manner. — Make  a slip  knot  in  the 
end  of  the  wool,  and  pass  it  on  the  needle  in  the  left  hand. 
Twist  the  ends  of  this  coloured  wool  and  that  of  the  ground,  to- 
gether,— knit  in  plain  knitting  the  stitches  required  for  the  pat- 
tern, then  fasten  off,  by  making  a loop,  and  commence  again  with 
the  ground  colour,  fastening  on  again  as  above.  Any  number 
of  colours  may  thus  be  introduced,  to  form  flowers  or  other  pat- 
terns, which,  however,  are  always  done  in  plain  knitting. 

The  wool  suitable  for  barege  knitting,  is  known  as  four-thread 
embroidery  fleecy.  It  may  also  be  done  in  fine  cotton. 

SHETLAND  SHAWL  PATTERN. 

This  should  be  worked  in  fine  cotton,  or  four-thread  embroidery 
fleecy,  with  No.  14  or  15  needles. 

Cast  on  any  number  of  stitches  that  may  be  divided  by  six. 

First  row — bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  one ; bring  the  wool 
forward,  knit  one ; — slip  one : knit  two  together,  bring  the  slip 
stitch  over  them ; knit  one. 

Second  row — pearl  knitting. 

Third  row — bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  three  ; bring  the  wool 
forward,  slip  one ; knit  two  together,  bring  the  slip  stitch  over  them. 

Fourth  row — pearl  knitting. 

Fifth  row — knit  one  ; slip  one ; knit  two  together,  bring  the 
slip  stitch  over  them ; knit  one ; bring  the  wool  forward,  knit 
one : bring  the  wool  forward. 

Sixth  row — pearl  knitting. 

Seventh  row — slip  one ; knit  two  together,  bring  the  slip  stitch 
over  them ; bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  three  ; bring  the  wool 
forward. 

Eighth  row — pearl  knitting. 


KNITTING. 


199 


N.B.  There  are  to  be  two  plain  stitches  at  the  beginning  and 
ond  of  each  row,  to  form  an  edge. 


A SHETLAND  KNITTED  SCARF. 

Commence  with  the  pattern  of  the  border,  by  casting  on  one 
hundred  stitches  for  the  width  of  the  scarf. 

First  row — knit  two  stitches  together  four  times;  bring  the 
wool  forward  and  knit  one,  eight  times  ; knit  two  stitches  to- 
gether four  times  : pearl  one ; — repeat  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

Second  row — pearl  knitting. 

Third  row — plain  knitting. 

Fourth  row — pearl  knitting. 

Repeat,  from  the  first  row  until  the  pattern  is  about  fourteen 
inches  deep.  Commence  the  centra  as  follows  : — working  one  row 
of  pearl  knitting,  before  the  pattern  commences. 

First  row — bring  the  wool  forward,  slip  one;  knit  one,  pass  the 
slip  stitch  over  the  knitted  one ; knit  one ; pearl  one ; repeat  to 
the  end  of  the  row. 

Second  and  following  rows — repeat  the  first, — every  row  being 
alike. 

No.  17  needles,  and  four-thread  embroidery  fleecy. 

If  this  fleecy  be  split,  it  exactly  imitates  the  Shetland  wool. 
In  splitting,  the  wool  will  frequently  break ; but  this  is  not  im- 
portant, as  by  laying  the  ends  contrariwise,  and  twisting  them 
together,  a few  stitches  may  be  so  knit  that  the  joins  are  not 
perceptible. 

Both  ends  of  the  scarf  are  to  be  made  alike  by  reversing  the 
knitting  of  the  border.  They  may  be  finished  with  a tied,  knit- 
ted, or  netted  fringe,  of  the  same  wool,  without  splitting,  or  of 
fine  German  wrool. 


200 


KNITTING. 


A BRIOCHE. 


The  brioche  knitting-stitch  is  simply  as  follows;  bring  the  wool 
forward,  slip  one ; knit  two  together. 

A brioche*  is  formed  of  sixteen  straight  narrow  stripes,  and 
sixteen  wide  stripes  which  gradually  decrease  in  width  towards  the 
top  or  centre  of  the  cushion.  It  may  be  made  in  three-thread  fleecy 
or  double  German  wool,  with  ivory  or  wooden  pins,  No.  19. 

Cast  on  ninety  stitches,  in  black,  for  the  narrow  stripe,  and 
knit  two  turns ; then  three  turns  in  g®ld  colour,  and  two  turns 
again  in  black.  This  completes  the  narrcfw  stripe. 

The  conical  stripe  is  knitted  as  follows: — knit  two  stitches,  and 
turn  ; knit  these  two,  and  two  more  of  the  black  and  turn ; con- 
tinue this,  taking  each  time  two  more  stitches  of  the  black,  until 
within  two  stitches  of  the  top  and  turn;  the  wool  will  now  be  at 
the  bottom  or  wide  part  of  the  stripe.  Commence  again  with  the 
black  as  in  former  narrow  stripe,  knitting  the  two  black  stitches 
at  the  top. 

By  a turn,  we  mean  one  row  and  back  again. 

The  colours  for  the  conical  stripe  may  be  blue  and  drab,  or 


* So  called  from  its  resemblance,  in  shape,  to  the  well  known  French  cake 
of  that  name. 


KNITTING. 


20  i 


any  two,  or  four  colours,  which  assort  well  together,  or  they  may 
each  be  different,  thus  : — white,  blue,  scarlet,  stone  colour,  bright 
green,  crimson,  white,  lilac,  deep  gold  colour,  ruby,  white,  buff, 
French  blue,  chrysophas  green,  and  lilac. 

When  the  last  conical  stripe  is  finished,  it  is  to  be  knitted  to 
the  first  narrow  stripe,  and  the  brioche  is  to  be  made  up  with  a 
stiff  bottom  of  mill  board,  about  eight  inches  in  diameter,  covered 
with  cloth.  The  top  is  drawn  together,  and  fastened  in  the  centre 
with  a tuft  of  soft  wool ; but  they  are  generally  preferred  with  a 
cord  and  tassels,  as  represented  in  the  engraving.  It  should  be 
stuffed  with  down,  or  fine  combed  wool. 

BOURSE  A LA  JOSEPHINE. 

This  is  a very  pretty  purse,  with  or  without  beads.  Three 
skeins  of  silk  will  be  required,  and  twelve  rows  of  beads. 

Cast  on  seventy-five  stitches,  in  second  sized  netting  silk. 

First  row — plain  knitting. 

Second  row — knit  one ; bring  the  wrool  forward,  slip  one  ; knit 
one,  pass  the  slip  stitch  over  it.  If  made  with  beads,  pass  the 
bead  on  in  bringing  the  wool  forward. 

Repeat  the  first  and  second  rows  alternately,  to  complete  the 
purse. 

GERMAN  PURSE. 

Cast  on  one  hundred  stitches. 

First  row — slip  one;  knit  one,  pass  the  slip  stitch  over  it; 
bring  the  silk  forward,  knit  one ; bring  the  silk  forward,  pearl 
one ; continue  to  the  end  of  the  row 

Every  succeeding  row  is  the  same. 

Three  skeins  of  coarse  netting  silk,  and  needles  No.  10,  are  re- 
quired. It  forms  a strong  gentleman’s  purse, 

19 


202 


KNITTING. 


A STRONG  KNITTED  PURSE. 

Cast  on  any  number  of  stitches  that  can  be  divided  by  three. 

First  row — bring  the  wool  forward,  slip  one;  knit  two,  pass 
the  slip  stitch  over  them  continue  the  same  to  the  end  of  the 
row. 

Second  row — plain  knitting. 

Third  row — knit  two,  before  the  pattern  is  commenced,  that 
the  holes  may  come  in  a diagonal  direction. 

Fourth  and  fifth  row — same  as  second  and  third. 

Sixth  row — same  as  first. 

This  purse  will  take  five  skeins  of  second-sized  netting  silk, 
and  needles  No  8.  It  particularly  requires  stretching. 

OPEN  STITCH  PURSE  WITH  BEADS. 

Cast  on  sixty  stitches  in  netting  silk. 

First  row — knit  one ; bring  the  silk  forward,  knit  two  together ; 
bring  the  silk  forward,  pass  on  a bead,  placing  it  behind  the 
needle  ; knit  two  together  ; — continue  the  same  to  the  end  of  the 
row,  placing  a bead  every  alternate  pattern. 

Second  row — same  as  the  first,  without  beads. 

Third  row — knit  one  ; bring  the  silk  forward,  pass  on  a bead, 
— then  continue  as  in  first  row. 

Second-size  purse  twist,  and  needles  No.  9,  are  required. 

HERRINGBONE,  OR  SHETLAND  STITCH  FOR  A PURSE. 

Cast  on  any  number  of  stitches  that  can  be  divided  by  four. 
About  eighty  will  be  required. 

First  row — bring  the  silk  forward,  slip  one  ; knit  one,  pass  the 


KNITTING. 


203 


slip  stitch  over  it  ; knit  one  ; bring  the  silk  forward,  pearl  one  ; 
repeat  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

Every  row  is  the  same. 

Three  skeins  of  second-sized  silk,  and  two  needles,  No.  13,  will 
be  required. 


A PENCE  JUG,  OR  PURSE. 

Five  needles,  No.  14,  will  be  required,  and  half  a skein  of  cla- 
ret and  green  Hamburgh  wool. 

Commence  with  the  handle  ; — by  casting  in  five  stitches  in 
claret,  and  knitting  in  plain  rows  backwards  and  forwards  until  it 
is  two  inches  long. 

Cast  on  six  stitches  on  the  same  needle,  twenty-six  on  the 
second,  and  ten  on  the  third  : then, — ■ 

Knit  from  the  first  needle, — knit  two  ; pearl  two  alternately. 

With  the  second  needle — pearl  two  ; knit  two  j pearl  two  ; pass 
the  wool  back,  slip  one  ; knit  one,  draw  the  slip  stitch  over  it ; 
knit  the  remaining  stitches  plain,  within  seven  of  the  end  ; then, 
knit  two  together  ; knit  one  ; pearl  two  ; knit  two. 

On  the  next  needle — pearl  two  ; knit  two  ; alternately  repeating 
three  rounds,  until  twelve  stitches  only  remain  on  the  second 
needle,  which  finishes  the  spout. 

Knit  three  plain  rounds  with  green,  five  with  claret,  three  with 
green,  and  five  with  claret,  every  two  stitches  being  alternately 
plain  and  pearled. 

Knit  one  plain  round  with  green  ; pearl  three  rounds  with 
claret ; knit  one  round  with  green,  making  a stitch  between  every 
two  stitches. 

Pearl  three  rounds  with  green ; knit  one  plain  round  ; in  the 
next  two  rounds,  bring  the  wool  forward  and  knit  two  together. 


204 


KNITTING. 


Knit  one  plain  round  with  claret  ; pearl  three  rounds  ; knit  one 
plain  round  ; in  the  next  two  rounds  bring  the  wool  forward  and 
knit  two  together ; knit  one  plain  round  ; pearl  three  rounds. 
Divide  the  stitches  on  the  four  needles, — twelve  on  each.  Then — 

In  plain  stocking  knitting,  knit  five  rounds,  decreasing  one  al- 
ternately, at  each  end,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  needle.  Knit 
three  rounds  more,  decreasing  occasionally. 

Divide  the  stitches  on  three  needles,  knit  a plain  round,  and 
pearl  three  rounds  without  decreasing  ; finish  with  plain  rounds, 
decreasing  until  only  four  stitches  remain  on  each  needle.  Draw 
up  the  small  opening  and  attach  the  lower  end  of  the  handle  to 
the  side  of  the  jug. 

It  may  also  be  worked  in  silk. 

STAR  PATTERN  SHAWL  IN  TWO  COLOURS. 

Cast  on  four  stitches  in  blue. 

First  row — bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  one  (these  two  stitches 
form  the  increase,  and . therefore  are  not  to  be  repeated)  ; bring 
the  wool  forward,  slip  one  j knit  two,  pass  the  slip  stitch  over 
them  ; repeat  the  same  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

Second  row — pearl  knitting  in  claret. 

Third  row — same  as  first  in  blue. 

Fourth  row — same  as  second  in  claret. 

Repeat  these  rows  alternately,  in  blue  and  claret,  until  there 
are  one  hundred  and  eighty  stitches  on  the  needle  ; cast  off, 
and  finish  with  a netted  fringe. 

As  the  increasing  adds  an  irregular  stitch,  some  rows  will 
have  one,  and  others  twro  knitted  stitches  at  their  commencement. 

PLAIN  RIBBED  MUFFATEES. 

Four  needles  will  be  required. 


KNITTING. 


205 


Cast  on  each  of  three  needles  eighteen  or  twenty-four  stitches 
according  to  the  size  desired. 

First  round — knit  three  ; pearl  three  ; — alternately. 

Second  and  succeeding  rounds — repeat  the  first. 

GRAHAM  MUFFATEES. 


Two  colours  are  generally  used — say  red  and  white, 
are  prettiest  in  four-thread  embroidery  fleecy. 


Cast  on  forty-five  stitches. 

Bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  two  together; 
repeat  the  same  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

Knit  six  plain  rows. 


> white. 


Knit  six  plain  rows. 

Bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  two  together. 
Knit  six  plain  rows. 


> red 


Knit  six  plain  rows. 

Bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  two  together. 
Knit  six  plain  rows. 

19* 


They 


> white. 


206 


KNITTING. 


Knit  six  plain  rows. 

Bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  two  together. 
Knit  six  plain  ro,ws. 


> red. 


> white. 

• J 


Knit  six  plain  rows. 

Bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  two  together. 

Take  double  wool,  and  needles  double  the  size. 
Knit  one  plain  row. 

Pearl  one  row. 

Knit  two  plain  rows. 

Pearl  one  row. 


white. 


Knit  one  plain  row.  | 

> red. 

Pearl  one  row. 

Repeat  these  two  red  and  white  stripes  alternately  four  times, 
and  finish  with  the  two  stitches  together  as  at  the  commencement. 

The  cuffs,  when  finished,  roll  over  at  the  top.  The  engrav- 
ing represents  them  without  the  roll. 

Two  needle^,  No.  11,  and  two  No.  16,  will  be  required. 


KNITTING. 


207 


Cast  on  thirty-five  stitches. 

First  row — knit  twenty  plain  stitches,  and  fifteen  in  double 
knitting. 

Every  second  row  is  the  same. 

When  they  are  sufficiently  large,  knit  or  sew  them  up.  The 
double  knitting  comes  over  the  hand,  the  plain  knitting  sitting 
tight  to  the  wrist. 

Three-thread  fleecy,  with  needles,  No.  16,  are  to  be  used. 

PATTERN  FOR  A CHAIR  TIDY,  OR  d’oYLEY. 

Cast  on  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  stitches.  This  will  form 
the  foundation,  on  which  the  pattern  is  to  be  repeated  eight 
times. 

First  row — pearl  knitting. 

Second  row — knit  two  together;  knit  three;  knit  two  together; 

knit  one ; bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  one ; bring  the  wool  for- 
ward, knit  one  ; knit  two  together ; knit  three  ; knit  two  together ; 

knit  one ; bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  one ; bring  the  wool  for- 

ward, knit  two ; — repeat  this  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

Third  row — pearl  knitting. 

Fourth  row — knit  two  together ; knit  one  : knit  tv  o together ; 
knit  one* ; bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  three ; bring  the  wool  forward, 
knit  one ; knit  two  together  ; knit  one  ; knit  two  together ; knit 
one;  bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  three;  bring  the  wool  forward, 
knit  two  plain. 

Fifth  row — pearl  knitting. 

Sixth  row — slip  one ; knit  two  together,  draw  the  slip  stitch 
over  them ; knit  one ; bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  five ; bring 
the  wool  forward,  knit  one;  slip  one;  knit  two  together;  draw 
the  slip  stitch  over  them ; knit  one ; bring  the  wool  forward, 
knit  five;  bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  two. 


208 


KNITTING. 


Seventh  row — pearl  knitting. 

Eighth  row — knit  two ; bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  one  ; bring 
the  wool  forward,  knit  one ; knit  two  together ; knit  three ; knit 
two  together ; knit  one ; bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  one ; bring 
the  wool  forward,  knit  one  ; knit  two  together ; knit  three ; knit 
two  together. 

Ninth  row — pearl  knitting. 

Tenth  row — knit  two;  bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  three; 
bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  one ; knit  two  together ; knit  one ; 
knit  two  together ; knit  one ; bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  three ; 
bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  one ; knit  two  together ; knit  one ; 
knit  two  together. 

Eleventh  row — pearl  knitting. 

Twelfth  row — knit  two;  bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  five;  bring 
the  wool  forward,  knit  one  ; slip  one ; knit  two  together,  bring 
the  slip  stitch  over  them ; knit  one  ; bring  the  wool  forward, 
knit  five  ; bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  one  ; slip  one  ; knit  two 
together,  bring  the  slip  stitch  over  them. 

This  pattern  may  be  worked  in  cotton,  No.  6,  for  a chair 
tidy,  and  finished  W'ith  a netted  fringe.  It  is  also  very  pretty 
for  light  shawls,  in  four-thread  embroidery  fleecy.  Needles  Nos. 
14  or  15  may  be  used  with  either  material. 

DOUBLE  KNITTING  FOR  COMFORTERS,  ETC. 

Cast  on  any  even  number  of  stitches. 

First  row — bring  the  wool  forward,  slip  one ; pass  the  wool  back, 
knit  one ; — continue  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

Every  succeeding  row  is  the  same.  The  stitch  knitted  in  one 
row,  is  the  slip  stitch  in  the  next. 

Large  sized  needles,  and  four-thread  fleecy  will  be  required. 


I 


KNITTING 


209 


A KNITTED  BAG,  WITH  BLACK  OR  GARNET  BEADS. 

Thread  half  a bunch  of  beads  on  a skein  of  claret  netting  silk, 
and  cast  on  eighty-eight  stitches. 

First  and  second  rows — plain  knitting  without  beads. 

Third  row — slip  one ; knit  one  with  a bead ; knit  one  ; repeat 
the  same  alternately  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

Repeat  from  first  row  eighty-four  times.  Observe  at  the  com- 
mencement of  every  row  to  make  a slip-stitch. 

Join  up  the  two  sides,  leaving  an  opening  at  the  top,  and  finish 
with  two  bars  and  gold  chain.  A fringe  of  the  garnet  beads,  with 
gold  points,  is  the  prettiest  trimming.  It  should  have  a stiff 
lining. 

No.  14  needles,  eight  skeins  of  netting  silk,  and  four  bunches 
of  beads,  including  those  for  the  fringe,  will  be  required. 

DOTTED  KNITTING,  FOR  BABIES*  SHOES,  CUFFS,  ETC. 

Cast  on  any  even  number  of  stitches. 

First  row — pearl  one;  knit  one. 

Second  row — knit  one ; pearl  one. 

Repeat  these  two  rows  alternately. 

Two  needles,  No.  8,  and  German  wool,  are  required. 

A KNITTED  BONNET  CAP. 

Cast  on  ninety  stitches,  in  hair  brown,  for  border. 

First,  second,  and  third  rows — plain  knitting. 

Fourth  row — bring  the  .wool  forward,  knit  two  together. 
Then,— 

Commence  with  another  colour — say  white. 

Fifth,  sixth,  and  seventh  rows — plain  knitting. 


210 


KNITTING. 


Eighth  row — bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  two  together. 

Repeat  these  last  four  rows  seven  times:  then  the  brown  bor- 
der as  before.  It  forms  a band  of  about  four  inches  wide,  which 
is  to  be  drawn  up  at  the  two  ends,  and  strings  attached  to  tie 
it  under  the  chin. 

Then  cast  on  forty  stitches  and  commence  another  band  with 
the  brown  border  as  above, — three  rows  of  the  pattern  in  white, 
and  repeat  the  brown  border.  This  is  to  be  sewn  or  knitted  on 
to  the  head  piece,  and  forms  the  band  for  the  back.  A ribbon  is 
to  be  run  through  it,  to  tie  it  close  to  the  head. 


A KNITTED  MUFF  IN  IMITATION  OF  SABLE. 


Cast  on  seventy  or  eighty  stitches. 

First,  second,  and  third  rows — plain  knitting. 

Fourth  row — bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  two  together,  taken 
at  the  back ; continue  the  same  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

Repeat  these  four  rows,  until  the  piece  be  about  18  inches  long, 
admitting  that  the  shading  comes  in  correctly. 

Two  No.  19  needles  are  required,  and  double  German  wool,  in 
four  distinct  shades  to  match  the  colour  of  sable.  Commence  with 
the  lightest  shade, — then  the  second,  third,  and  darkest,  reversing 
them  again  to  the  lightest,  as  represented  in  the  engraving. 

ANOTHER  MUFF. 


Cast  on  forty-five  stitches. 


KNITTING. 


211 


Every  row  is  worked  the  same,  with  a slip  stitch  at  the  begin- 
ing ; — knit  one  ; pearl  one ; repeat  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

It  will  require  a piece  of  about  twenty  inches  long  to  make  a 
moderate  sized  muff,  which  must  be  lined  with  gros  de  Naples, 
and  stuffed  with  wool,  and  a sufficient  quantity  of  horsehair  to 
retain  it  in  shape.  Cord  and  tassels  to  match  the  colour  of  the 
muff  may  be  sewn  at  the  ends ; or  it  may  be  drawn  up  with 
ribbons. 

a baby’s  shoe. 


Cast  on  thirty-six  stitches  in  red^German  wool. 

Knit  six  turns,  increasing  a stitch  at  each  row,  to  form  the  toe 
and  heel. 

Knit  six  more  turns,  increasing  a stitch  at  one  end  only  for 
the  toe. 

Cast  off  thirty  stitches  on  another  needle ; — knit  the  remaining 
sixteen  stitches  for  eighteen  turns,  and  cast  them  off  on  another 
needle. 

With  white , pick  up  the  thirty  red  stitches; — knit  three  plain 
rows; — in  the  next,  bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  two  together. 

Knit  three  plain  rows ; leave  sixteen  stitches  on  the  needle,  and 
repeat  the  pattern  in  white  across  the  instep  seven  times,  which  is 
afterwards  to  be  sewn  to  the  red  knitting  for  the  toe. 

Cast  on  sixteen  stitches  in  white  to  correspond  with  the  other  side. 

Knit  two  plain  rows; — in  the  next,  bring  the  wool  forward, 


212 


KNITTING. 


knit  two  together  the  whole  length  of  the  row ; — knit  one  plain 
row  in  red,  taking  up  the  stitches  that  were  cast  off  for  the  toe ; 
and  make  this  side  of  the  shoe  to  correspond  with  the  other,  de- 
creasing instead  of  increasing. — The  shoe  and  the  white  in  the 
instep  are  now  finished. 

Pick  up  the  stitches  both  of  the  shoe  and  instep; — knit  three 
plain  turns.  Take  a larger  needle,  bring  the  wool  forward,  knit 
two  together : forming  the  holes  to  pass  the  ribbon  through. 

Knit  three  plain  turns  with  a small  needle.  In  the  next  row, 
bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  two  together. 

Knit  three  plain  rows;  in  the  next,  bring  the  wool  forward, 
knit  two  together,  until  the  sock  be  of  the  height  desired.  Cast 
off  very  loosely. 

ANOTHER  VERY  PRETTY  BABy’s  SHOE. 

This  is  worked  in  stripes  with  two  colours. 

Cast  on  twenty-eight  stitches  in  blue, — knit  one  plain  row  ; — 
knit  one  plain  row  in  white,  adding  a stitch  at  the  end  for  the 
heel,  and  turn  ; knit  another  plain  row  with  blue,  adding  a stitch 
as  before,  and  turn. 

Repeat  the  above  alternately  without  any  additional  stitcher, 
until  there  are  eight  stripes  of  each  colour. 

Knit  one  plain  row’  in  blue,  and  in  turning,  cast  off  seven 
teen  stitches,  beginning  from  the  hid. 

Knit  the  thirteen  remaining  si  it.'hes  with  white,  and  turn. 
Knit  one  row  with  blue,  and  turn.-  -( -ontinue  until  there  are  five 
rows  of  one  colour,  and  four  of  the  other.  Then  knit  the  thirteen 
stitches  in  blue, — add  seventeen  to  correspond  with  the  other 
side,  and  turn.  Finish  this  side  like  the  other,  decreasing  for 
the  heel.  The  toe  and  heel  are  then  sewn  up  in  the  shape  of  a 
shoe. 


KNITTING. 


213 


Take  four  needles , and  pick  up  the  stitches  round  the  instep 
and  ankle,  putting  an  equal  number  of  stitches  in  each  of  three 
needles.  Knit  five  plain  rounds ; bring  the  wool  forward,  to  make 
a stitch ; slip  one  ; knit  two,  pass  the  slip-stich  over  them ; bring 
the  wool  forward,  and  repeat  the  same  for  one  round. 

Knit  five  plain  rows. 

Pearl  four  rows. 

Knit  five  plain  rows. 

Pearl  four  rows. 

Knit  two  plain  rows. 

Finish  by  bringing  the  wool  forward,  and  knitting  two  together. 

Knit  two  plain  rows,  and  cast  off. 

The  upper  or  round  part  of  the  shoe,  is  prettiest  in  white. 

No.  14  needles,  and  three-thread  fleecy,  or  double  German  wool, 
are  to  be  used.  A ribbon  may  be  run  in  the  open  stitches  to  tie 
them  on  the  foot. 


A baby’s  stocking. 


20 


214 


KNITTING. 


Cast  on  twenty-three  stitches  in  brown,  and  knit  six  turns,  in- 
creasing one  at  each  end,  for  the  toe  and  heel. 

Knit  six  turns,  increasing  a stitch  only  at  the  toe.  There  will 
now  be  thirty-six  stitches  on  the  needle.  Cast  off  twenty  stitches, 
and  knit  the  remaining  sixteen  stitches,  for  eighteen  turns.  One 
side  of  the  shoe  and  instep  will  now  be  made. 

Cast  on  twenty  stitches  and  work  the  other  side  of  the  shoe  to 
correspond. 

Pick  up  the  stitches  with  white  across  the  instep.  Knit  two 
turns,  catching  in  one  loop  of  the  sides  of  the  shoe,  in  each  row, 
to  join  them  together. 

Knit  one  turn  in  brown,  two  in  white,  one  in  brown,  two  in 
white,  one  in  brown.  The  shoe  and  instep  will  now  be  finished. 

Pick  up  the  stitches  of  the  shoe,  on  each  side  of  the  piece 
which  forms  the  instep.  There  should  now  be  forty  stitches  on 
the  needle. 

Knit  seven  turns  in  white ; then  nineteen  turns,  increasing  a stitch 
at  the  beginning  of  every  other  turn.  Knit  three  plain  turns  fol- 
lowed by  eighteen  turns,  decreasing  one  stitch  in  every  other  turn. 

Forty-four  stitches  will  now  be  found  on  the  needle.  Knit  and 
pearl  two  alternately  for  five  turns.  Knit  two  plain  rows.  Knit 
one  row  in  red,  and  cast  off  loosely. 

The  shoe  is  to  be  sewn  up  into  its  shape,  and  the  stocking 
closed  up. 

Open  baby’s  stockings  may  be  made  by  continuing  the  knitting 
as  directed  for  the  shoe  pattern,  p.  211. 

A DOUBLE  KNITTED  SCARF,  IN  TWO  COLOURS. 

Cast  on  thirty-six  stitches  in  blue. 

First  row — bring  the  wool  forward,  slip  one  ; pass  the  wool 
back,  knit  one ; repeat  to  the  end  of  the  row. 


KNITTING. 


215 


Each  succeeding  row  is  the  same,  observing  that  the  knit-stitch 
always  comes  under  the  slip-stitch. 

It  will  require  seven  rows  of  blue,  seven  of  white,  seven  of 
blue,  thirty-eight  of  white,  seven  of  blue,  seven  of  white,  seven 
of  blue. 

Cast  off  and  draw  up  the  ends.  Finish  with  blue  and  white 
tassels. 

CABLE  KNITTING. 

Cast  on  any  number  of  stitches  that  can  be  divided  by  six. 

First  row — pearl  knitting. 

Second  row — plain  kniting. 

Third  row — pearl  knitting. 

Fourth  row — plain  knitting. 

Fifth  row — pearl  knitting. 

Sixth  row — plain  knitting. 

Seventh  row — pearl  knitting. 

Eighth  row — slip  three  stitches  on  to  a third  needle,  always 
keeping  that  needle  in  front  ; knit  the  next  three  stitches ; then 
knit  the  three  stitches  that  were  slipped  on  the  third  needle;  take 
the  third  needle  again,  and  slip  three  more  stitches  on  it,  keeping 
it  as  before  in  front,  and  knit  the  n~xc  three  stitches ; then 
knit  the  three  stitches  slipped  on  th  > third  needle;  continue  the 
same  to  the  end  of  the  row ; commence  again  as  at  first  row. 

KNITTED  CUFFS. 

Cast  thirty  stitches  on  each  of  two  needles,  and  forty  on 
the  third,  and  knit  a plain  round. 

Second  round — pearl  one  ; pass  the  silk  back,  knit  one  ; 
pearl  one  ; pass  the  silk  back,  knit  one. — by  which  you  make 


216 


KNITTING. 


a loop  stitch  ; repeat  this  five  times,  which  will  make,  with 
the  loop  stitch,  thirteen  from  the  last  pearled  stitch  j commence 
the  pattern  again  as  at  beginning  of  round. 

Third  round — pearl  one  ; knit  one,  pearl  one  ; slip  one  ; knit 
one,  pass  the  slip-stitch  over  it  ; knit  nine  ; knit  two  together ; 
repeat  to  the  end  of  the  round. 

Fourth  round — same  as  third,  except  that  there  will  be  only- 
seven  plain  stitches  to  knit. 

Fifth  round — same  as  third,  with  only  five  plain  stitches. 

There  will  now  be  the  same  number  of  stitches  on  the  needles 
as  at  the  commencement. 

Knit  one  plain  round,  excepting  on  the  three  division  stitches 
which  are  knitted  as  before. 

Repeat  from  second  round,  and  when  the  cuffs  are  of  suf- 
ficient length,  knit  a plain  round  to  correspond  with  the 
beginning. 

They  may  be  made  either  of  silk,  cotton,  or  fine  wool,  with 
needles  No.  11. 

COVER  FOR  AN  AIR  CUSHION. 

Cast  on  eighty  stitches,  on  each  of  the  three  needles  ; knit 
one  round  with  the  wool  turned  round  the  needle. 

Second  round — knit  the  second  stitch,  slipping  it  over  the 
first  ; repeat  this,  slipping  every  second  stitch  over  the  former 
one. 

Repeat  the  first  and  second  rounds  alternately. 

A FISH  NAPKIN,  d’oYLEY,  OR  TIDY. 

Cast  on  ninety-six  stitches  ; pearl  and  knit  sixteen  rows  al- 
ternately. 


KNITTING. 


217 


Seventeenth  row — pearl  sixteen  ; bring  the  cotton  forward,  pearl 
three  ; pass  the  cotton  back,  knit  three  ; repeat  the  last  six 
stitches  alternately,  until  within  the  last  sixteen  stitches  of  the 
end  of  the  row,  which  are  to  be  pearled. 

In  the  next  row,  knit  the  sixteen  stitches  at  the  beginning 
and  end  which  form  the  border,  and  reverse  the  pearled  and  knit 
stitches  in  the  centre. 

Repeat  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  rows  alternately,  and 
when  worked  to  the  size  required,  finish  with  the  border  as  at 
the  commencement. 

The  above  may  be  enlarged  by  casting  on  any  extra  number 
of  stitches  that  can  be  divided  by  three. 

A KNITTED  MAT. 

Cast  on  forty-five  stitches  in  fine  twine , and  knit  one  plain 
row.  Cut  some  coarse  yarn  into  lengths  of  about  two  inches, 
and  in  the — 

Second  row — knit  one  ; place  a piece  of  the  yarn  between  the 
needles,  one  end  on  each  side  ; knit  one,  pass  the  end  of  the 
yarn  between  the  needles,  knit  one  ; repeat  the  same  to  the  end 
of  the  row,  finishing  with  two  plain  stitches. 

Third  row — plain  knitting. 

Fourth  row — knit  two,  before  placing  the  yarn,  and  continue  as 
n second  row. 

It  is  better  to  work  this  mat  in  lengths,  and  sew  them  together, 
as  it  would  be  too  heavy  to  hold  in  the  hand  in  one  piece. 

CLOSE  STITCII  FOR  A WAISTCOAT,  ETC. 

To  be  knitted  in  two  colours, — say  claret  and  blue. 

Cast  on  any  uneven  number  of  stitches. 

20* 


218 


KNITTING. 


First  row — with  claret, — knit  one  ; slip  one  ; repeat  to  the 
end  of  the  row. 

Second  row — with  claret, — knit  one ; bring  the  wool  forward,  slip 
one  ; pass  the  wool  back,  knit  one  ; repeat  to  the  end  of  the 
row. 

Third  row — with  claret,  slip  one  ; knit  one  ; repeat  to  the  end 
of  the  row. 

Fourth  row — bring  the  wool  forward,  slip  one  ; pass  the  wool, 
bick,  knit  one  ; repeat  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

Fifth  and  sixth  rows — same  as  first  and  second  in  blue. 


HONEYCOMB  STITCH  FOR  A BAG. 

Cast  on  any  number  of  stitches  that  can  be  divided  by  five. 

First  round — bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  two  together,  taken 
at  the  back  ; knit  three  : — repeat  to  the  end  of  the  round. 

Second  and  third  rounds — repeat  the  first,  making  one  extra 
plain  stitch  at  the  commencement. 

Fourth  round — plain  knitting. 

Fifth  round — bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  three  ; knit  two 
together. 

Sixth  and  seventh  rounds — same  as  the  fifth. 

Eighth  round — plain  knitting,  making  one  additional  stitch,  to 
bring  the  pattern  correct  in  the  next  row. 

baby’s  hood. 

Cast  on  fifty  stitches,  and  knit  eighty  plain  rows ; sixty  of 
which  are  to  be  rolled  up  to  form  the  front. 


KNITTING. 


2i9 


Sew  together  three  inches  of  the  cast  on  part ; and  draw  up 
the  remainder  for  the  crown. 

Cast  on  fifty  stitches  for  the  hood,  and  work  forty  plain  rows. 

No.  18  needles,  and  double  German  wool. 

When  finished,  it  may  be  lined  with  white  silk  or  satin,  and 
trimmed  with  narrow  satin  ribbon. 

LONG  SLEEVES  TO  WEAR  UNDER  THE  DRESS. 

No.  14  needles,  and  six-thread  embroidery  fleecy. 

Cast  on  forty-two  stitches  very  loosely,  alternately  knit,  and 
pearl,  three  stitches,  for  twelve  turns. 

Knit  ten  turns  plain. 

Knit  thirty-five  turns,  plain, — increasing  one  stitch  on  each 
turn. 

Knit  twenty  turns,  plain, — increasing  one  stitch  every  other 
turn. 

Repeat  the  twelve  turns  as  at  the  commencement. 

OPEN  STITCH  FOR  A LIGHT  SHAWL,  D7OYLEY,  ETC. 

Cast  on  any  number  of  stitches  that  can  be  divided  by  three. 

First  row — bring  the  wool  forward,  knit  two  together,  taken  at 
the  back ; slip  one  ; repeat  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

Every  succeeding  row  is  the  same. 

JARRETIERES. 

Cast  on  eighteen  stitches. 

Knit  in  double  knitting  in  rows  backwards  and  forwards,  until 
of  the  desired  length. 


220 


KNITTING. 


EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS  USED  IN  KNITTING. 

To  cast  on. — The  first  interlacement  of  the  cotton  on  the 
needle. 

To  cast  off. — To  knit  two  stitches,  and  to  pass  the  first  over 
the  second,  and  so  on  to  the  last  stitch,  which  is  to  be  secured 
by  drawing  the  thread  through. 

To  cast  over. — To  bring  the  cotton  forward  round  the  needle. 

To  narrow. — To  lessen,  by  knitting  two  stitches  together. 

To  seam . — To  knit  a stitch  with  the  cotton  before  the  needle. 

To  widen. — To  increase  by  making  a stitch,  bringing  the  cotton 
round  the  needle,  and  knitting  the  same  when  it  occurs. 

A turn . — Two  rows  in  the  same  stitch,  backwards  and  forwards. 

To  turn. — To  change  the  stitch. 

A row.- — The  stitches  from  one  end  of  the  needle  to  the  other. 

A round. — A row  when  the  stitches  are  on  two,  three,  or  more 
needles. 

A plain  row. — That  composed  of  simple  knitting. 

To  pearl  a row . — To  knit  with  the  cotton  before  the  needle. 

To  rib. — To  work  alternate  rows  of  plain  and  pearl  knitting. 

To  bring  the  thread  forward. — To  bring  the  cotton  forward  so 
as  to  make  an  open  stitch. 

A loop  stitch . — Made  by  bringing  the  cotton  before  the  needle, 
which,  in  knitting  the  succeeding  stitch,  will  again  ta&e  its  own 
place. 

To  slip  or  pass  a stitch . — To  change  it  from  one  needle  to  the 
other  without  knitting  it. 

Ta  fasten  on — the  best  way  to  fasten  on  is  to  place  the  two 
ends  contrariwise,  and  knit  a few  stitches  wdth  both  together. 
For  knitting  with  silk  or  fine  cotton,  a weaver's  knot  (as  re- 
presented in  the  annexed  engraving),  will  be  found  the  best. 


KNITTING. 


221 


To  take  under. — To  pass  the  cotton  from  one  needle  to  the 
other,  without  changing  its  position. 

Pearl , seam , and  rib-stitch. — all  signify  the  same. 

N.B.  The  sizes  of  the  needles  are  given  according  to  the  filiere , 
drawn  at  page  94. 

It  is  necessary  in  giving  or  following  directions  for  knitting,  to 
caution  knitters  to  observe  a medium  in  their  work — not  knitting 
either  too  loose  or  too  tight. 


HINTS  ON  KNITTING. 

A plain  stitch  at  the  beginning  of  each  row,  called  by  Madame 
Gaugain  an  edge  stitch , is  a great  improvement  in  most  instances, 
as  it  makes  an  uniform  edge,  and  the  pattern  is  kept  more  even 
at  its  commencement.  In  most  knitting,  the  edge-stitch  is 
slipped. 

It  is  said  that  knitting  should  be  taught  to  children,  when 
young;  it  is  curious  to  observe  how  much  more  readily  those 
persons  handle  the  needle,  who  have  learnt  it  in  childhood. 

It  is  easiest  to  learn  to  knit  by  holding  the  wool  over  the  fin- 
gers of  the  left  hand;  the  position  of  the  hands  is  more  graceful 
when  thus  held. 

It  is  always  advisable  to  cast  on  loosely. 

When  it  is  requisite  to  cast  off,  and  continue  the  row  on  a 
separate  needle,  it  is  sometimes  better  to  run  a coarse  silk  through 
the  cast  off  stitches  ; they  are  easily  taken  up  when  required, 


222 


KNITTING. 


and  the  inconvenience  of  the  idle  needle  is  avoided, — as  for  in- 
stance, in  working  children’s  shoes  * 


* It  is  not  perhaps  generally  known,  that  the  crimson  caps  worn  by  the 
Turks  (some  of  which  are  occasionally  seen  in  this  country),  are  knitted. 
The  Fez  manufactory  of  Eyoub,  at  Constantinople,  established  by  Omer  Lufti 
Effendi,  is  thus  described,  from  a recent  visit  by  Miss  Pardoe. — “As  we  passed 
the  threshold,  a most  curious  scene  presented  itself.  About  five  hundred  fe- 
males were  collected  together  in  a vast  hall,  awaiting  the  delivery  of  the  wool 
which  they  were  to  knit ; and  a more  extraordinary  group  could  not  per- 
haps be  found  in  the  world.  There  was  the  Turkess  with  her  yashmac 
folded  closely  over  her  face,  and  her  dark  feridjhe  falling  to  the  pavement: 
the  Greekwoman,  with  her  large  turban  and  braided  hair,  covered  loosely  with 
a scarf  of  white  muslin,  her  gay-coloured  dress,  and  large  shawl:  the  Arme- 
nian, with  her  dark  eyes  flashing  from  under  the  jealous  screen  of  her  care- 
fully-arranged veil,  and  her  red  slipper  peeping  out  under  the  long  wrapping 
cloak : the  Jewess,  muffled  in  a coarse  linen  cloth,  and  standing  a little 
apart,  as  though  she  feared  to  offend  by  more  immediate  contact : and  among 
the  crowd,  some  of  the  loveliest  girls  imaginable.’ ’ 

This  establishment  is  on  a very  extensive  scale,  three  thousand  workmen 
being  constantly  employed.  The  wool  is  spread  over  a stone-paved  room,  where 
it  undergoes  saturation  with  oil;  it  is  then  weighed  out  to  the  carders,  and 
afterwards  spun  into  threads  of  greater  or  less  size,  according  to  the  quality 
of  fez  for  which  ft  is  to  be  knit.  The  women  then  receive  it  in  balls,  each 
containing  the  quantity  necessary  for  a cap  ; and  these  they  take  home  by 
half  a dozen  or  a dozen  at  a time,  to  their  own  houses,  and  on  restoring 
them,  receive  a shilling  for  each  of  the  coarse,  and  seventeen  pence  for  each 
of  the  fine  ones. 

The  fez  afterwards  undergoes  various  operations,  such  as  felting,  blocking, 
dyeing,  etc.,  when  it  assumes  the  appearance  of  a fine  close  cloth.  It  is  then 
carried  to  the  marker,  who  works  into  the  crown  the  private  cypher  of  the 
manufacturer,  and  affixes  the  short  cord  of  crimson  which  is  to  secure  the 
tassel  of  purple  silk,  with  its  curious  appendage  of  cut  paper.  The  last  opera- 
tion is  that  of  sewing  on  the  tassels,  and  packing  the  caps  into  parcels  con- 
taining half  a dozen  each,  stamped  with  the  imperial  seal.  Fifteen  thousand  caps 
a month  are  produced  at  the  manufactory  of  Eyoub. 

We  must  not  close  the  subject  of  knitting,  without  briefly  alluding  to  the 
productions  of  Barege,  the  Shetland  Isles,  and  Sanquhar. 

The  village  of  Barege,  situated  on  the  French  side  of  the  Pyrennees,  at 
the  foot  of  these  lofty  mountains,  is  celebrated  for  that  peculiar  description  of 
knitting,  where  various  coloured  wools,  and  sometimes  gold  and  silver,  are  in- 
troduced to  form  most  elegant  patterns.  The  knitting  from  the  Shetland  isles 


KNITTING. 


223 


is  very  similar  to  that  of  Barege,  but  generally  of  one  uniform  colour.  The 
wool  with  which  the  real  Shetland  knitting  is  done,  is  peculiar  to  these  islands, 
and  spun  by  the  peasants ; the  particular  race  of  sheep  from  which  it  is  produced 
is  said  to  resemble  those  in  the  mountains  of  Thibet,  more  than  any  other 
European  breed.  Sanquhar,  in  Dumfriesshire,  was  formerly  celebrated  for  its 
manufacture  of  knit  stockings;  but  that  branch  of  industry  received  a fatal 
check  at  the  commencement  of  the  American  war,  although  it  still  affords  em- 
ployment for  numerous  families ; and  the  particular  description  of  stocking 
there  made  is  still  much  prized. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


Netting. 


“Not  aine  damzell,  which  her  vaunteth  most 
In  skilfull  knitting  of  soft  silken  twyne ; 

Nor  aine  weaver,  which  his  worke  doth  boast 
In  diaper,  in  damaske,  or  in  lyne ; 

Nor  aine  skild  in  workmanship  embost; 

Nor  aine  skild  in  loupes  of  fingring  fine ; 

Might  in  their  divers  cunning  ever  dare 
With  this  so  curious  networke  to  compare.” 

Spenser. 

“Ideal  visits  I often  pay  you,  see  you  posting  round  your  sylvan  walks,  or 
sitting  netting  in  your  parlour,  and  thinking  of  your  absent  friend.” 

Seaward’s  Letters. 

N the  museum  of  Montbijou,  at  Berlin,*  are  pre- 
served specimens  of  the  nets  made  by  the  Egyptians 
above  three  thousand  years  since;  and  in  this,  and 
other  collections,  are  some  of  the  needles  they  em- 
ployed in  netting — instruments  similar  to  those  of 
the  present  day.  These  nets  are  such  as  were  used  for  fishing 


* This  collection  of  Egyptian  antiquities  was  formed  by  M.  Passalacqua  and 
General  Minutoli,  and  is  one  of  the  most  curious  in  Europe. 


NETTING. 


225 


and  fowling,  but  we  are  not  to  infer,  that  even  in  this  remote 
age,  they  were  ignorant  of  netting  of  a finer  description  : indeed, 
if  we  may  credit  the  ancient  writers,  their  productions  of  this 
kind  far  surpassed  those  of  modern  times.* 


There  is  scarcely  a hunter  or  a fisherman  who  does  not  under- 
stand netting  in  its  rudest  and  simplest  style.  The  instruments 
requisite  are, — a pin  or  mesh,  on  which  the  loops  are  made,  and 
by  which  their  size  is  consequently  determined ; and  a needle 
shaped  into  a fork  of  two  prongs  at  each  end,  the  ends  of  the 


* Their  nets  were  made  of  flax,  and  some  of  the  threads  used  for  them 
were  remarkable  for  their  fineness;  so  delicate  were  these  nets,  says  Pliny, 
(lib.  xviii.  c.  2)  “ that  they  would  pass  through  a man’s  ring,  and  a single 
person  could  carry  a sufficient  number  of  them  to  surround  a whole  wood. 
Julius  Lupus  who  died  while  governor  of  Egypt,  had  some  of  these  nets,  each 
string  of  which  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  threads;  a fact  perfectly 

surprising  to  those  who  are  not  aware,  that  the  Rhodians  preserve  to  this  day, 
in  the  Temple  of  Minerva,  the  remains  of  a linen  corslet,  presented  to  them 
by  Amasis,  king  of  Egypt,  whose  threads  are  composed  each  of  three  hundred 
and  sixty-five  fibres ; and  in  proof  of  the  truth  of  this,  Mutianus,  who  was 
thrice  consul,  lately  affirmed  at  Rome,  that  he  had  examined  it ; and  the  rea- 
son of  so  few  fragments  remaining,  was  attributable  to  the  curiosity  of  those 
who  had  frequently  subjected  it  to  the  same  scrutiny.” — Herodotus  (lib.  iii.  c. 
47)  also  mentions  this  corslet,  and  another  presented  by  the  same  king  to  the 
Lacedaemonians.  He  says,  **  ij  was  of  linen,  ornamented  with  numerous  figures 
of  animals  worked  in  gold  and  cotton.  Each  thread  of  the  corslet  was  worthy 
of  admiration,  for  though  very  fine,  every  one  was  composed  of  three  hundred 
and  sixty  other  threads,  all  distinct;  the  quality  being  similar  to  that  dedi- 
cated to  Minerva  at  Lindus.” 


21 


226 


NETTING. 


prongs  meeting,  and  forming  a blunt  point,  which  will  allow  of 
the  needle  being  passed,  either  end  foremost,  through  a small  loop. 
The  twine  wherewith  the  net  is  to  be  formed,  is  first  wound  upon 
the  needle  by  passing  it  alternately  between  the  prongs  at  each 
end,  so  that  the  turns  of  the  twine  may  be  parallel  to  the  length 
of  the  needle,  and  be  kept  on  it  by  the  forks.  With  these  instru- 
ments we  will  endeavour  to  explain  the  process  of  netting ; for 

whether  it  be  for  a fisherman’s  net  or  a plain  purse  of  the  finest 
material,  it  is  still  the  same. 

A foundation  must  first  be  made  with  a long  loop  of  twine, 
which  may  be  fixed  to  any  support,  one  end  of  the  twine  on  the 
needle  being  attached  by  a knot  to  this  loop.  The  mesh  or  pin 

is  then  taken  in  the  left  hand , between  the  thumb  and  two  first 
fingers,  and  held  close  up  to  the  knot  above-mentioned,  and  under 
the  twine.  The  needle  being  neld  in  the  right  hand  between  the 
thumb  and  forefingers  (in  the  manner  represented),  is  to  be  passed 

under  and  round  the  left  hand,  so  that  the  twine  may  form  a 

loose  loop  over  all  the  fingers,  except  the  little  one.  The  twine 
must  be  held  in  this  position  between  the  left-hand  thumb  and 
the  upper  front  of  the  pin.  The  needle  is  then  passed  back  again 
round  the  pin,  but  allowing  the  twine  from  it  to  form  a larger 
loop,  to  embrace  the  little  finger  also.  By  this  action  the  needle 
will  be  brought  round  in  front  of  the  pin  ; and  then  must  be 
passed  under  the  first  loop,  between  the  pin  and  the  fingers  hold- 
ing it  ; also  through  the  foundation  loop  ; and  lastly,  over  the 
nart  of  the  twine  which  proceeds  backwards  from  the  thumb  to 
form  the  second  loop.  This  being  done,  the  needle  is  to  be  held 
in  its  position  by  means  of  the  pin  and  the  fingers,  until  the  right 
hand  can  be  brought  round  to  pull  it  through  the  passage  in 
which  it  is  engaged.  The  needle  being  drawn  out,  and  once 

more  in  the  light  hand,  all  the  fingers  of  the  left  are  to  be  dis- 


NETTING. 


22  7 


engaged  from  the  loops  of  the  twine,  except  the  little  one,  which 
must  still  retain  the  second  loop  which  was  formed  round  it.  By 
means  of  this  hold  of  the  little  finger,  the  twine  must  be  drawn 
up  to  the  pin,  and  the  knot  formed  by  these  manoeuvres  made 
tight  on  the  foundation. 

A succession  of  loops  is  to  be  made  by  a repetition  of  this 
process,  until  as  many  have  been  formed  on  the  foundation  as 
may  be  necessary  for  the  width  of  the  net.  As  the  pin  is  filled, 
or  covered  by  these  loops,  it  is  to  be  pushed  on  to  the  right,  and 
some  loops  allowed  to  drop  off  it  at  the  left-hand  end.  The 
whole  row  being  done,  and  the  pin  drawn  out,  a row  of  equal 
loops  will  be  found  hanging  from  the  foundation  attached  by 
knots,  and  sliding  freely  along  it. 

Having  thus  formed  one  row  of  meshes,  the  work  is  turned 
over,  so  as  to  reverse  the  ends  of  that  row,  in  order  that  in  net- 
ting a second  back  again,  it  may  be  done  in  the  same  direction  as 
that  in  which  the  first  was  made,  namely, — from  left  to  right. 
To  commence  this  second  and  all  subsequent  rows,  place  the  pin 
again  close  up  to  the  bottom  of  the  last  row  of  loops,  and 
repeat  the  action  with  the  needle  as  before,  only  that  instead  of 
having  to  pass  the  needle  through  the  loop  of  the  foundation,  pass 
it  in  succession,  for  every  new  knot,  through  each  loop  of  the 
row  already  done,  each  knot  being  thus  formed  at  the  bottom  of 
the  loop  above  it.  In  using  the  needle,  a sufficient  quantity  of 
twine  must  be  kept  always  unwound  off  of  it,  to  allow  of  its 
being  moved  freely  round  the  pin  and  hand. 


228 


NETTING. 


The  above  engraving  illustrates  the  knot  made  in  netting,  be- 
fore it  is  tightened,  showing  the  turns  of  the  twine  which  form  it. 

PLAIN  NETTED  GENTLEMAN’S  PURSE. 

Five  skeins  of  coarse  netting  silk,  and  a mesh  No.  13,  will  be 
required. 

Net  on  a foundation  of  eighty  stitches  for  the  width,  and 
continue  until  you  have  ten  inches  in  length  ; this  will  make  a 
full-sized  handsome  purse.  When  done,  net  up  the  sides,  and 
tack  up  the  opening ; damp  it  slightly  and  put  it  on  a purse 
stretcher,  as  in  the  annexed  engraving,  allowing  it  to  remain  for 
some  time.  When  taken  off  the  stretcher,  untack  the  opening, 
gather  up  the  ends,  and  put  on  the  trimmings. 


Dark  b.ue,  Drown,  crimson,  and  green,  are  the  most  serviceable 
colours. 


NETTING. 


229 


A lady’s  purse. 

Four  skeins  of  fine  netting  silk,  with  a mesh  No.  10,  will  be 
required  ; the  purse  should  be  about  nine  inches  in  length.  They 
are  pretty  when  netted  with  five  rows  of  one  colour,  and  three  of 
another.  Cerise  and  slates  harmonize  well ; — middle  blue  and 
yellow  drab,  green  and  stone  colour,  gold  colour  and  brown,  black 
and  blue,  light  green  and  claret,— will  all  be  found  good. 

a gentleman’s  purse  with  ends  of  different  colours. 

This  will  take  two  skeins  of  each  coloured  netting  silk,  and  a 
No.  13  mesh. — Commence  on  a foundation  of  eighty  stitches  with 
dark  green,  net  forty-five  stitches,  return  back  on  them  ; net 
thirty-five  and  return  ; net  twenty-five  and  return. — Commence 
with  ponceau  on  the  last  stitch  of  the  foundation,  net  thirty-five 
stitches  to  meet  the  green  ; loop  the  needle  in  the  green,  and  re- 
turn.— Net  backwards  and  forwards  until  the  whole  of  the  green 
loops  are  filled  up.  Make  the  same  pattern  with  ponceau,  looping 
the  needle  into  the  green  ; four  points  of  each  are  sufficient  for 
the  purse. — Damp  and  stretch  as  before. 

Bright  French  blue,  and  stone  colour,  claret  and  middle  green, 
drab  and  crimson,  will  make  pretty  purses. 

a lady’s  purse  with  points. 

Four  skeins  of  fine  netting  silk,  with  a No.  9 mesh.  Net  on 
a foundation  of  ninety  stitches  with  stone  colour.  Net  fifty 
stitches,  and  return  back  on  them ; net  forty,  and  return  ; net 
thirty,  and  return.  Proceed  as  with  the  former  purse,  with  pon- 
ceau making  five  points  of  each  colour. 


230 


NETTING. 


A PRETTY  PURSE  WITH  CHINE  SILK. 

The  number  of  stitches  on  the  foundation  depends  on  the  size 
of  the  silk.  Net  three  rows  with  a plain  coloured  silk,  and  five 
with  a chine  silk.  Repeat  these  rows  alternately. 

One  reel  of  plain,  and  two  of  chine  silk  will  be  required. 


NETTING  WITH  BEADS. 

When  beads  are  to  be  introduced,  a fine  long  darning  needle  is 
to  be  used  instead  of  the  netting  needle,  for  working  the  bead 
rows.  Thread  the  needle  with  a sufficient  quantity  of  silk  for 
each  row,  or  part  of  a row,  as  may  be  necessary  ; thread  each 
bead  as  required,  and  pass  it  on  the  top  of  the  mesh,  net  a stitch 
and  pass  the  silk  under  the  mesh,  and  through  the  bead,  pass  the 
silk  back  again  under  the  mesh,  and  draw  the  bead  with  it,  which 
leaves  the  bead  on  the  knot. 

A PLAIN  NETTED  PURSE  WITH  A BEAD  MOUTH. 


Four  skeins  of  extra  fine  netting  silk,  and  a mesh  No.  6, 
are  required. — Commence  with  a foundation  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  stitches,  and  net  a piece  seven  inches  in  width.  The 
mouth  of  the  purse  is  made  as  follows  : — the  annexed  engraving 
represents  one  side  of  it. 


No.  30. 


First  row — net  forty-two  plain  stitches ; one  bead  stitch ; one 
plain ; two  bead  ; two  plain, — alternately  eight  times  ; one  plain  • 
one  bead ; forty-two  plain. 


NETTING. 


231 


Second  row — net  forty-five  plain ; three  bead ; one  plain, — alter- 
nately eight  times;  forty-five  plain. 

Third  row — net  forty-six  plain;  two  bead;  two  plain, — alter- 
nately eight  times;  forty-six  plain. 

A PRETTY  SEME  PURSE  WITH  STEEL  OR  GOLD  BEADS. 

Four  skeins  of  fine  netting  silk,  and  a No.  8 mesh. 

Commence  on  a foundation  of  one  hundred  stitches.  Net  one 
plain  row.  In  the  second  row,  net  a plain  stitch  and  a bead 
stitch  alternately.  The  next  row  is  plain.  In  the  fourth  row,  com- 
mence with  the  bead  stitch. 

AN  ELEGANT  NETTED  PURSE  WITH  STEEL  BEADS. 

This  will  require  four  skeins  of  the  finest  netting  silk,  and  a 
mesh  No.  3,  with  very  small  steel  beads.  The  ends  of  the  foun- 
dation are  joined, — the  purse  being  netted  round. 

Net  four  plain  rows  before  the  pattern  commences.  There  are 
six  sprigs  of  beads  in  the  round,  five  stitches  between  each,  as  in 
the  following  engraving. 


No.  31. 

In  the  first  half  of  the  purse  there  will  be  seven  rows  of  these 
sprigs.  The  pattern  is  then  reversed,  to  form  the  other  end:  the 


232 


NETTING. 


points  of  the  sprigs  meeting  each  other.  The  opening  of  the 
purse  commences  with  the  fifth  row  of  the  pattern.  The  pattern 
is  much  more  graceful  in  the  netting,  than  can  be  represented  on 
the  diamonds  of  the  engraving. 

PLAIN  NETTED  MITTENS. 

Commence  on  a foundation  of  forty-eight  stitches  with  a No. 
12  mesh,  and  five  skeins  of  fine  black  netting  silk.  Net  four 
plain  rows ; then  one  row  with  a mesh  double  the  size,  which 
forms  the  loops  for  the  ribbon.  With  the  first  mesh,  net  five 
plain  rows.  In  the  next  row  unite  both  ends,  and  net  one  plain 
round,  increasing  on  the  twelfth  stitch.  Net  one,  increase  again, 
and  net  the  remaining  stitches.  Net  sixteen  rounds,  increasing 
two  stitches  to  form  the  thumb  on  every  alternate  round  in  the 
same  place  as  the  first  increase  stitches.  Unite  the  stitches  in- 
tended for  the  thumb,  net  seven  rounds  for  the  length  of  the 
thumb,  decreasing  one  or  two  stitches  each  round  to  make  it  set 
close.  With  the  second  mesh  net  two  stitches  in  every  loop. 
Net  one  round,  taking  the  two  stitches  together,  and  finish  with 
two  or  three  rounds  on  a still  finer  mesh.  Net  as  many  rounds 
as  are  necessary  to  make  the  hand  of  the  mitten,  and  finish  as 
directed  for  the  thumb. 

Run  in  the  ribbon  to  tie  at  the  wrist,  and  trim  with  lace. 

A knitter’s  BAG  WITH  RING. 

Net  on  a foundation  of  sixty  stitches  with  coarse  netting  silk 
or  union  cord,  and  a mesh  No.  16.  When  the  bag  is  of  half 
the  depth  desired,  net  in  a gilt  ring,  or  one  of  wire,  which  has 
been  previously  covered  with  silk  in  button-hole  stitch.  Net  the 


NETTING. 


233 


other  half  of  the  bag.  It  is  to  be  drawn  up  with  a ribbon,  and 
a bow  or  tassel  placed  at  the  bottom. 

A CHECKED  OR  DICE  PATTERN  PURSE. 

Two  skeins  of  second-sized  netting  silk  of  a bright  scarlet,  and 
two  of  dark  slate  colour,  with  a mesh  No.  10,  will  be  required. — • 
Make  a foundation  of  ninety-eight  stitches,  and  commence  with 
seven  stitches  of  scarlet,  netting  seven  rows.  Join  the  slate-coloured 
silk  to  the  seventh  stitch  of  the  first  row  of  the  scarlet,  and  again 
net  seven  more  rows  on  the  next  seven  stitches  of  the  foundation, 
looping  in  the  last  scarlet  stitch  on  each  row.  Repeat  these 
squares  of  scarlet  and  slate  colour,  until  the  purse  be  sufficiently 
long, — reversing  the  squares. 

This  is  not  the  usual  way  of  netting  this  purse,  but  we  prefer 
it,  as  being  the  easiest.  A round  star  of  seven  beads,  as  in  pat- 
tern No.  30,  may  be  effectively  added  in  the  centre  of  each  square. 

Whenever  the  silk  is  c tfa  off,  enough  must  be  left  to  make  a 
weaver's  knot  with  the  next  colour. 

GRECIAN  NETTING,  OR  FILET  ROSE. 


No.  32. 

This  is  prettiest  worked  with  fine  silk,  when  two  meshes,  Nos. 
9 and  18,  are  required.  Net  one  plain  row  with  the  large  mesh. 


234 


NETTING. 


In  the  next  row,  use  the  small  mesh,  put  the  silk  round  the 
fingers  as  in  plain  netting,  pass  the  needle  through  the  finger  loop, 
into  the  first  stitch,  and  from  that  pass  it  into  the  second,  draw 
the  second  through  the  first,  and  again  draw  the  first  through  the 
second,  and  finish  the  stitch  by  pulling  the  silk  tight  and  with- 
drawing your  fingers  from  the  finger  loops.  The  next  stitch  to 
be  netted,  is  a small  loop  that  appears  to  go  across  the  stitches 
twisted  together.  These  last  movements  form  the  pattern,  which 
is  to  be  repeated  to  the  end  of  the  row.  The  next  row  is  plain 
netting  with  the  large  mesh. 

This  may  be  used  for  mittens,  purses,  curtains,  scarfs,  &c.,  of 
course  varying  the  size  of  the  material  and  the  meshes. 

A PURSE  IN  GRECIAN  NETTING. 

Net  three  plain  rows  on  a round  foundation  of  fifty  stitches, 
with  a No.  9 mesh. 

In  the  next  row,  with  a No.  18  mesh,  net  the  stitch  as  described 
in  the  preceding.  When  as  many  patterns  are  done  as  are  suffi- 
cient for  one  end  of  the  purse,  net  the  opening  backwards  and 
forwards  in  plain  netting  on  the  small  mesh,  and  finish  the  other 
end  with  Grecian  netting  as  before. 

* MITTENS  IN  GRECIAN  NETTING. 

Net  six  plain  rows  on  a foundation  of  fifty  stitches  with  fine 
black  netting  silk,  with  a mesh  No.  9.  Net  one  row  with  a mesh 
No.  18,  to  form  the  holes  for  the  ribbon.  Net  four  plain  rows 
with  the  small  mesh,  and  one  row  with  the  large  mesh.  Com- 
mence the  Grecian  netting  as  before  described,  with  tbe  small 
mesh.  Unite  the  two  ends,  and  in  the  next  round,  increase  by 


NETTING. 


235 


netting  two  stitches  in  one  in  the  sixteenth  loop.  Net  six  stitches, 
and  increase  again,  and  then  continue  to  the  end  of  the  round. 
Net  fourteen  rounds  of  the  pattern,  increasing  as  before  in  every 
third  round.  Unite  the  stitches  intended  to  form  the  thumb,  and 
net  five  rounds  of  the  pattern.  Finish  by  netting  on  the  No.  9 
mesh  two  stitches  in  every  loop,  with  the  silk  twice  round  the 
needle.  Net  one  row,  taking  two  loops  together,  and  three  rows 
of  plain  netting.  The  hand  is  to  be  continued  and  finished  in 
the  same  way. — Trim  the  edges  with  lace. 

NETTED  FRINGE. 

With  a No.  18  mesh,  net  the  length  required,  allowing  the 
stitches  to  drop  off  on  the  left-hand  end.  Net  another  row  the 
same.  For  the  third  row,  take  a flat  mesh  of  the  width  of  the 
fringe  desired,  the  grooved  edge  being  downwards,  and  net  one 
row.  These  loops  are  then  to  be  cut ; — they  may  be  thus  left,  or 
knotted  two  and  two.  The  size  of  the  mesh  mentioned  is  adapted 
for  a fringe  of  coarse  cotton,  or  four-thread  fleecy. 

SINGLE  DIAMOND  NETTING. 


No.  33. 

Net  on  a foundation  with  fine  silk,  and  No.  10  mesh.  Every 
alternate  stitch  is  to  be  made  a loop  stitch,  by  putting  the  silk 
twice  round  the  mesh. 


236 


NETTING. 


TREBLE  DIAMOND  NETTING. 

Net  three  plain  rows  for  the  commencement ; then — 

First  row — make  a loop  stitch,  by  putting  the  silk  twice  round 
the  mesh ; net  three  plain  stitches ; repeat  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

Second  row — net  a plain  stitch  over  the  loop  stitch ; make  a loop 
stitch  ; net  two  plain  stitches  ; repeat  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

Third  row — net  one  or  two  plain  stitches,  as  the  pattern  may 
require  ; make  a loop  stitch  ; net  a plain  stitch  ; repeat  the  two 
last  alternately  to  the  end  of  the  row. 

Fourth  row — net  three  plain  stitches  ; make  a loop  stitch  ; re- 
peat to  the  end  of  the  row. 

N.B.  Always  withdraw  the  mesh  before  netting  the  loop  stitch. 

This  netting  is  best  adapted  for  D’Oyleys,  tidies,  etc.  If  for  a 
purse,  about  forty  or  forty-five  stitches  will  be  required  for  the 
foundation. 

DIAMOND  NETTING  OF  FIVE  STITCHES. 


No.  34. 

Commence  on  a foundation  of  any  odd  number  of  stitches. 

First  row — make  one  loop  stitch;  net  five  plain  stitches;  repeat 
to  the  end  of  the  row — finish  with  a loop  stitch. 


NETTING. 


237 


Second  row — net  one  plain,  over  loop  stitch  ; make  one  loop 
stitch  ; slip  out  the  mesh  ; net  four  plain  ; repeat — finish  with  a 
plain  stitch,  over  loop  stitch. 

Third  row — net  one  plain ; make  one  loop  stitch  ; slip  out  the 
mesh  ; net  three  plain  ; slip  out  the  mesh  ; net  one  plain,  over 
loop  stitch  ; repeat — finish  with  a plain  stitch,  over  loop  stitch. 

Fourth  row — net  one  plain  ; net  one  plain,  over  loop  stitch  ; 

slip  out  the  mesh  ; net  two  plain  ; slip  out.  the  mesh  ; net  one 

plain,  over  loop  stitch  ; repeat — finish  with  a plain  stitch. 

Fifth  row — net  one  plain;  net  one  plain,  over  loop  stitch;  make 
a loop  stitch  ; slip  out  the  mesh  ; net  two  plain  ; slip  out  the 

mesh  ; net  one  plain,  over  loop  stitch  ; repeat — finish  with  a plain 
stitch. 

Sixth  row — net  two  plain ; net  one  plain,  over  loop  stitch ; make 
a loop  stitch  ; net  one  plain,  over  loop  stitch  ; net  one  plain  ; re- 
peat— finish  with  a plain  stitch. 

Seventh  row — net  two  plain ; net  one  plain,  over  loop  stitch  ; 

make  a loop  stitch  ; net  two  plain  ; repeat — finish  with  a plain 
stitch. 

Eighth  row — net  three  plain  ; slip  out  the  mesh  ; net  one  plain 
over  loop  stitch  ; slip  out  the  mesh  ; net  one  plain ; repeat — -finish 
with  a plain  stitch. 

Ninth  row — net  two  plain  ; slip  out  the  mesh  ; net  one  plain, 
over  loop  stitch  ; slip  out  the  mesh  ; net  one  plain  ; repeat — finish 
with  a plain  stitch. 

Tenth  row — net  two  plain  ; slip  out  the  mesh  ; net  one  plain, 
over  loop  stitch  ; net  one  plain  ; net  one  plain,  over  loop  stitch  ; 
make  a loop  stitch ; slip  out  the  mesh ; repeat — finish  with  a plain 
stitch. 

Eleventh  row — net  one  plain;  slip  out  the  mesh;  net  one  plain, 

over  loop  stitch  ; net  two  plain  ; net  one  plain,  over  loop  stitch  ; 

22 


233 


NETTING. 


make  a loop  stitch ; slip  out  the  mesh  ; repeat — finish  with  a plain 
stitch. 

Twelfth  row — net  one  plain  ; net  one  plain,  over  loop  stitch  ; 
net  three  plain  ; net  one  plain,  over  loop  stitch  j repeat — finish 
with  a loop  stitch. 

Commence  again  as  at  first  row. 


SEME  FURSE,  DIAMOND  PATTERN. 

Extra  fine  netting  silk,  with  steel  or  gold  beads,  an<?  9 mesh 
No.  3. 

Net  on  a round  foundation  of  seventy-two  stitches  ; net  four 
plain  rows.  In  the  next  row,  place  a bead  on  every  sixth  stitch ; 
in  the  next,  on  every  fifth  and  sixth  stitch,  and  in  the  next,  again 
on  every  sixth,  so  as  to  form  a diamond.  Net  four  plain  rows, 
and  repeat  the  pattern  in  beads,  so  as  to  come  in  the  centre  stitch 
of  the  former  rows. 


No  35. 

The  above  pattern  is  intended  for  the  opening  of  the  purse,  in 
beads,  reversed  in  the  centre.  It  may  also  be  used  for  a purse  in 
different  coloured  stripes,  each  alternate  stripe  having  the  pattern 
in  steel  beads. 


NETTING. 


239 


Commence  with  three  or  four  rows  of  plain  netting  ; then  one 
row  of  loop  stitches, — made  by  putting  the  silk  twice  round  the 
mesh.  Repeat  from  the  three  rows  of  plain  netting. 


FOND  DE  BERLIN. 

Le  fond  de  Berlin  se  tricote  de  la  maniere  suivante:  apres  avoir 
fait  quelques  rangees  de  mailles  ordinaires,  on  passe  le  fil  une  fois 
autour  du  moule  ; au  lieu  de  prendre  tout  de  suite  la  maille  sui- 
vante, on  la  cherche  avec  la  pointe  de  la  navette  a travers  celle 
qui  se  trouve  dessus  ; fay  ant  courbee  un  peu  vers  soi  on  y passe 
la  navette,  et  Ton  tire  fortement  le  fil.  La  maille  voisine  un  peu 
tiree  par  la,  s’avance  et  forme  une  petite  oreille.  Elle  est  achevee 
aussitot  de  la  maniere  ordinaire.  Apres  cela,  on  passe  le  fil  autour 
du  moule,  et  Ton  procede,  comme  il  vient  d’etre  enseigne,  jusqu’a 
ia  fin  de  la  rangee,  en  observant  d’alterner.  Lorsqu’on  ote  les 
mailles,  il  s’en  trouve  alternativement  de  grandes  et  de  petites. 
Dans  la  rangee  suivante,  elles  sont  toutes  egales  ; mais  il  faut  bien 
prendre  garde  a la  tension  du  fil  parce  que  do  deux  nauids  run 


240 


NETTING. 


doit  etre  lacbe,  lorsque  la  maille  est  petite.  La  troisieme  rangee 
est  tricotee  comme  la  premiere,  et  la  quatrieme  comme  la  seconde, 
et  ainsi  de  suite.  Dans  la  premiere  rangee,  la  maille  voisine  de 
celie  qui  est  entrelacee,  se  trouve  un  peu  etroite,  mais  dans  les 
suivantes,  elle  est  plus  grande,  et  se  tricote  aussi  commodement 
que  les  autres. 

FILET  ROSE. 

C’est  presque  de  la  meme  maniere  que  se  tricote  le  fond  de 
Berlin.  Lorsqu’il  y a quelques  rangees  de  mailles  ordinaires 
de  faites,  et  quil  tfagit  de  commencer  le  filet^rose,  on  met  le 
fil  comme  de  coutume,  sans  le  passer  autour  du  moule  ; mais 
avant  de  tricoter  une  maille,  il  faut  la  cherclier,  comme  dans 
le  fond  de  Berlin,  a travers  celle  qui  se  trouve  dessus.  La 
maille  voisine  qui  se  tend  aussi  en  prenant  la  forme  d’une 

petite  oreille,  est  tricotee  tout  de  suite,  comme  a fordinaire  : 
la  troisieme  se  fait  de  meme  que  la  premiere,  et  ainsi  de  suite. 

La  rangee  suivante  se  tricote  de  la  maniere  accoutumee,  mais 

la  troisieme  doit  etre  semblable  a la  premiere,  et  la  quatrieme 
a la  seconde  ; ce  filet  se  continue  de  la  sorte  jusqu’a  la  fin. 

FILET  A BATON  ROMPU. 

Une  fort  belle  espece  de  filet,  c’est  celui  qui  ressemble  a 

un  baton  rompu.  En  commenqant  une  rangee,  on  passe  le  fil 

une  fois  autour  du  moule,  et  la  maille  se  tricote  comme  a 
fordinaire  ; la  seconde  se  fait  sans  qu’il  soit  necessaire  de  passer 
le  fil  autour  du  moule,  mais  la  troisieme  doit  etre  semblable 
a la  premiere,  et  ainsi  de  suite  alternativement.  Dans  cette 
espece  de  tricotage,  il  faut  que  les  mailles  soient  en  nombre 
pair,  parce  qu’a  la  derniere  de  chaque  rangee,  le  fil  ne  doit 
pas  etre  passe  autour  du  moule,  lorsqu’il  l’a  ete  a la  premiere. 


NETTING. 


241 


Quand  la  premiere  rangee  est  finie,  il  se  trouve  une  grande 
maille  et  une  petite  sur  deux.  L’on  fait  ensuite  les  mailles 
egales  a la  maniere  accoutumee.  La  troisieme  rangee  est 
semblable  a la  premiere,  et  la  quatrieme  a la  seconde,  et  ainsi 
de  suite  jusqu’a  la  fin  du  filet.  Trois  sortes  de  carres  differ- 
ents,  de  grands  et  de  petits,  de  parfaits  et  de  longs,  se  sucsedent 
alternativement  dans  ce  tricotage,  et  lui  donnent  une  fort  belle 
apparence. 

FILET  ROND. 

Le  filet  rond  se  tricote  comme  a 1’ ordinaire,  avee  cette  dif- 
ference, qu’au  lieu  de  passer  la  navette  dans  une  maille,  de  bas 
en  haut,  on  la  passe  de  haut  en  bas.  De  cette  maniere,  les 

mailles  deviennent  rondes,  et  le  tissu  reqoit  beaucoup  d’ elasticity. 
Partout  le  fil  a l’air  d’etre  tors. 

NETTED  MITTENS  WITH  SILK  AND  WOOL. 

First  round — net  on  a foundation  of  one  hundred  and  twelve 
stitches  wTith  black  netting  silk,  No.  13  mesh. 

Second  round — plain  netting  with  blue  wool,  over  an  ivory 
mesh  half  an  inch  deep. 

Third  round — wdth  silk, — netting  two  stitches  in  one,  with  the 
first  mesh. 

Fourth  round — same  as  second. 

Fifth  and  sixth  rounds — with  black  silk. 

Seventh  round — blue  wool,  with  ivory  mesh.  An  India-rubber 
band,  or  a ribbon  passes  through  this  row,  to  secure  the  mitten 
at  the  wrist. 

Eighth  and  ninth  rounds — black  silk. 

Tenth  round — blue  wool,  on  ivory  mesh, — one  quarter  of  an 
inch  in  wridth. 

22* 


242 


NETTING. 


Repeat  alternately  two  of  black,  and  one  of  blue,  for  eight 

rounds. 

The  nineteenth  round — will  be  two  of  black  silk, — when  fifteen 
stitches  are  to  be  united  to  form  the  thumb,  which  is  netted  in 
alternate  rounds  of  silk  and  wool,  until  of  sufficient  length.  Con- 
tinue the  other  part  in  the  same  manner,  and  finish  with  three 
or  four  rounds  of  black  silk. 

NETTED  CUFF  WITH  SILK  AND  WOOL. 

First  and  second  rows — net  on  a foundation  of  ninety-six 
stitches,  and  net  one  plain  row  with  middle  blue  floss  silk,  and  a 
mesh  No.  11. 

Third  row — with  an  ivory  mesh  half-an-inch  wide,  with  buff 
German  wool. 

Fourth  row — with  small  mesh,  net  two  stitches  in  one  with 
wool. 

Net  fourteen  rows  alternately  with  the  large  and  small  meshes 
for  the  inside  half  of  the  cuff. 

Nineteenth,  twentieth,  and  twenty-first  rows — in  dark  brown 
wool. 

Net  two  rows  with  the  small  mesh  on  blue  silk,  alternately  with 
seven  rows  of  wool,  in  shades  from  brown  to  light  buff,  and 
finish  with  an  edge  as  at  the  commencement. 

This  cuff  is  to  be  sewn  up  at  the  side,  or  it  may  be  worked  in 
rounds. 


The  fancy  stitches  in  netting  are  best  calculated  for  scarfs, 
D’Oyleys,  curtains,  etc.  It  is  easy  to  apply  any  of  the  above 
directions,  by  merely  using  the  cottons,  wools,  and  meshes,  of  the 
size  best  adapted  for  the  various  purposes. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


Braibing  anb  . 


41  Show  me  the  piece  of  needlework  you  wrought.” 

Beaumont  and  Fletcher. 

RAIDING,  although  the  most  simple  kind  of 
ornamental  needlework,  is  nevertheless  capable  of 
great  beauty  and  perfection. — The  costly  woiks 
in  gold  and  silver,  executed  by  the  Turks  and 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Greek  islands,  are  princi- 
pally of  this  description. 

Braid  may  be  worked  upon  velvet,  cloth,  satin,  silk,  or  leather : 
either  is  equally  suitable,  according,  as  it  may  be  adapted  to 
the  article  the  work  is  designed  for  ; but  braiding  on  velvet 
intermixed  with  gold,  is  the  most  elegant  and  recherche.  The 
pattern  (the  lines  of  which  should  be  kept  curved  as  much  as 
possible),  must  be  drawn  on  the  material.  The  principal  art  in 
working,  consists  in  keeping  the  braid  or  cord  exactly  in  a line 


214 


BRAIDING  AND  APPLIQU^. 


with  the  drawing,  taking  care  that  the  various  scrolls  are  well 
rounded  and  even,  and  the  corners  sharply  turned.  Much  of  the 
beauty  of  the  work  depends  on  making  the  sharp  turns  flat  and 
pointed, — which  must  be  done  by  properly  sewing  the  braid  at 
their  extreme  points  ; the  stitches  should  be  regular,  and  of  an 
equal  length.  Every  separate  piece  of  braid  or  cord  must  be 

commenced  and  finished,  by  passing  its  end  through,  and  under 
the  material,  with  a braid  needle.  Where  gold  cord  is  intended 
to  be  sewn  on  by  the  side  of  the  braid,  the  line  of  the  drawing 
should  be  carefully  preserved  above  that  of  the  braid  ; and  care 
must  always  be  taken  to  keep  the  braid,  in  every  part,  either 
within  or  without  the  line  of  the  pattern,  which,  if  not  attended 
to,  will  completely  destroy  the  effect  of  the  design. 

Groups  of  flowers  are  sometimes  worked  in  different  coloured 
braids  ; but  this  description  of  work  is  very  tedious,  and  unless 
beautifully  arranged,  it  has  a common  appearance  ; nevertheless 
most  beautiful  specimens  are  occasionally  to  be  seen. 

The  prettiest  kind  of  braiding  is  that  where  a silk  braid  is  ac- 
companied, on  one  or  both  sides,  with  a fine  gold  cord,— a species 
of  work  adapted  for  bags,  folios,  sachets,  boxes,  note  cases,  &c. 
By  a skilful  admixture  of  different  coloured  braids  with  gold  braid 
and  gold  cord,  a splendid  effect  may  be  produced.  Gold  or 
union  cord,  in  a vermicelli  pattern,  may  be  tastefully  introduced  ; 
and  where  braid  alone  is  used,  it  can  be  varied  by  the  addition 
of  epine  with  gold  passing,  or  silk. 

It  is  preferable  to  use  the  silk  of  the  braid  itself  for  sewing  it 
on,  as,  from  its  thus  matching  exactly  in  colour,  the  stitches  can- 
not so  well  be  detected.  This  may  be  done  by  cutting  off  a piece 
of  braid  the  length  of  a needleful  of  silk,  and  drawing  out  each 
thread  as  required.  All  braid  work,  except  that  on  velvet,  when 
finished,  should  be  passed  under  a roller,  the  face  of  the  woik 


BRAIDING  AND  APPLIQUE. 


245 


being  covered  with  tissue  paper  : this  flattens  the  braid,  and  adds 
much  to  the  beauty  of  its  appearance. 

Applique  is  the  laying  of  one  material  over  another, — as  cloth, 
for  instance,  where  one  or  more  pieces  of  different  shapes  and 
colours,  in  the  form  of  flowers  or  other  figures,  are  placed  on  the 
surface  of  another  piece  which  forms  the  ground,  and  are  after- 
wards secured  at  their  edges  with  braids  or  cord.  This  style  of 
work  has  been  practised  in  some  instances  with  so  much  taste  and 
ingenuity,  that  it  has  rivalled  embroidery,  and  for  many  Turkish 
designs  seems  almost  preferable  to  any  other  kind. 

Applique  may  be  composed  of  pieces  of  cloth,  velvet,  satin,  silk, 
or  leather,  cut  into  the  shape  of  flowers,  scrolls,  or  other  designs. 
The  pattern  should  be  drawn  upon  the  material  intended  for  the 
applique,  and  a corresponding  one  upon  that  forming  the  ground, 
which  latter  may  also  consist  of  either  of  the  above  materials. 
If  velvet,  satin,  or  silk,  be  used,  it  will  be  necessary  to  have  a 
thin  paper  pasted  at  the  back,  before  the  applique  is  cut  out, 
which  renders  them  firmer,  and  prevents  their  unraveling.  These 
pieces  are  to  be  carefully  tacked  doivn  on  the  material,  and  the 
edges  worked  with  braid  or  cord,  the  colours  of  which  may  be 
varied  according  to  taste  ; but  where  flowers  are  intended  to  be 
represented,  a braid,  the  colour  of  the  flower  or  leaf,  is  to  be  pre- 
ferred. The  leaves  may  be  veined  with  braid  or  cord,  or  with 
twisted  silk  ; and  the  centres  of  some  flowers  may  be  worked  in 
French  knots.  (See  page  122.)  Vine  leaves  are  peculiarly  adapted 
to  this  description  of  work,  the  tendrils  of  which  may  be  formed 
of  union  cord. 

For  bags  and  folios,  a very  pretty  kind  of  applique  may  be 
made,  by  using  various  coloured  silks  on  a ground  of  cachemir  or 
merino.  Velvet  applique,  edged  with  gold  cord,  on  satin,  or 


246 


BRAIDING  AND  APPLIQUE, 


velvet,  is  also  suitable  for  bags,  slippers,  sachets,  caps,  pillows,  etc. 
Satin,  edged  with  chenille,  is  sometimes  used  ; as  also  morocco 
leather,  or  kid,  stamped  with  designs  in  gold  : when  placed  on 
satin,  velvet,  or  cloth,  the  latter  should  be  edged  writh  gold  braid 
or  cord,  and  may  be  further  enriched,  by  the  margin  of  the 
leather  being  cut  into  scallops  or  Vandykes,  and  the  gold  cord 
turned  into  a circle  at  each  point.  For  table-cover  borders,  otto- 
mans, and  other  large  pieces  of  work,  a set  pattern  may  be  used 
with  good  effect,  when  embroidery  can  be  introduced  into  some 
of  the  compartments,  giving  it  a very  rich  and  Persian-like  ap- 
pearance. 

A beautiful  description  of  applique,  .combined  with  embroidery, 
was  much  in  vogue  a few  years  since,  particularly  for  handscreens, 
where  the  flowers  and  leaves  were  formed  of  velvet,  and  the  stalks 
embroidered  with  gold  bullion.  Some  of  these  “ fleurs  de  fantaisie” 
were  made  flat,  others  were  raised  by  numerous  small  velvet 
leaves,  carefully  laid  one  partly  over  the  other,  and  tacked  down 
with  a fine  silk  ; these  leaves  ( lames  de  velours)  required  to  be 
accurately  cut  with  a steel  punch. 


CHAPTER  XX 


33eai>  iDork. 


“With  stones  embroider’d,  of  a wondrous  mass; 

About  the  border,  in  a curious  fret, 

Emblems,  impresas,  hieroglyphics  set.” 

Drayton. 

HE  Germans  excel  in  all  kinds  of  bead  work, 
some  of  which  are  extremely  beautiful ; they 
are  principally  applicable  to  small  articles,  such 
as  folios,  presse-papiers,  card  and  cigar  cases. 
Purses  and  bags  are  made  of  beads,  but  their 
weight  renders  them  sometimes  objectionable. 

The  paucity  of  colours  in  which  glass  beads  can  be  obtained, 
limits  this  description  of  wrork  to  arabesque,  gem,  and  scroll  pat- 
terns, or  for  working  flowers  in  neutral  tints  : other  designs,  such 
as  flowers  and  figures,  are  sometimes  executed,  but,  from  the  want 
of  the  proper  shades,  they  are  extremely  defective.  The  opaque 


218 


BEAD  WORK. 


turquoise  beads, — among  the  most  beautiful  of  those  manufactured, 
are  generally  used  for  the  grounds ; an  opal  bead,  lately  intro- 
duced, is  extremely  pretty  intermixed  with  others. 

Besides  glass  beads,  gilt  and  silver  beads,  both  plain  and  cut, 
and  steel  beads,  are  frequently  used  for  this  kind  of  work  ; the 
latter,  for  the  sake  of  variety,  being  sometimes  manufactured  of  a 
dark  purple  tint. 

The  designs  for  bead  work  are  generally  taken  from  Berlin  pat- 
terns : the  beads  are  attached  to  a canvas  by  a waxed  sewing  silk, 
but  a fine  twisted  cotton  thread  is  used  for  this  purpose  in  Ger- 
many. Half  cross  stitch,  or  across  two  threads  each  way  of  the 
canvas  on  the  slant,  is  the  usual  method  of  working  them. 

Beads  of  all  kinds  are  commonly  introduced  by  the  Germans 
into  their  patterns,  the  principal  portions  of  which  are  worked 
with  wool  or  silk,  whether  on  cotton  or  silk  canvas,  and  not  un- 
frequently  with  a pleasing  effect.  The  use  of  beads,  however,  in 
the  higher  departments  of  the  art,  when  we  wish  to  imitate  paint- 
ing, is  totally  inadmissible — at  least,  if  we  have  any  regard  for 
the  laws  of  good  taste.  In  historical  subjects,  even  the  admixtuie 
of  gold  and  silver  threads,  is  not  in  good  keeping  ; but  to  enrich 
parts  of  the  drapery  and  other  portions  of  the  design  with  heavy 
masses  of  beads,  or  with  raised  work,  as  is  frequently  done  in 
Germany,  is  so  gross  an  infringement  of  all  the  proprieties  of  art, 
that  it  cannot  be  too  scrupulously  avoided. 

Some  of  the  most  beautiful  bead  work  is  done  in  tricot . with  a 
fine  cotton  or  silk  ; but  it  is  a more  laborious  and  expensive 
method  of  producing  the  same  effect,  although  for  some  few  pur- 
poses it  is  infinitely  superior.  Purses  made  with  beads,  in  imita- 
tion of  netting,  are  also  very  pretty,  but  perhaps  more  curious 
than  useful. 

With  respect  to  beads,  it  may  not  here  be  improper  to  observe 


BEAD  WORK. 


249 


that  a great  difference  exists  in  the  quality  of  all  sorts  of  steel 
and  gilt  beads,  causing  a variation  sometimes  of  as  much  as  three 
or  four  hundred  per  cent,  in  their  value  : to  those  who  cannot  at 
first  perceive  the  difference,  time  will  soon  show  the  inferiority  in 
the  wear  of  the  one  in  comparison  with  the  other. 

Bead  work  may  be  done  on  canvas  of  several  sizes,  according 
to  the  size  of  the  beads  ; the  canvas  usually  employed  measures 
about  thirty-eight  threads  to  the  inch.* 


* It  is,  perhaps,  not  generally  known,  that  all  the  glass  beads  used  for  needle- 
work are  manufactured  at  Murano,  near  Venice.  Tubes  of  coloured  glass  are 
drawn  out  to  great  lengths  and  fineness,  in  the  same  manner  as  those  of  more 
moderate  lengths  are  made  in  this  country  for  thermometers;  these  are  cut  into 
very  small  pieces,  of  nearly  uniform  lengths,  on  the  upright  edge  of  a fixed 
chisel.  These  elementary  cylinders  are  then  put  into  a mixture  of  fine  sand 
and  wood  ashes,  where  they  are  stirred  about  until  their  cavities  get  filled.  This 
mixture  is  then  put  into  an  iron  pan,  suspended  over  a moderate  fire,  where, 
by  being  kept  continually  stirred,  they  assume  a smooth  rounded  form.  They 
are  then  removed  from  the  fire,  cleared  out  in  the  bore,  and  strung  in  bunches, 
constituting  the  beads  as  we  meet  with  them  in  commerce.  Great  quantities 
of  these  beads,  packed  in  casks,  are  exported  to  all  parts  of  the  world. 


23 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


NccMcruorU  of  tljc 
©nglisl)  GUncetts  atiii  princesses. 


€i  And,  round  about,  her  worke  she  did  empale 
With  a faire  border  wrought  of  sundrie  flowres, 

Enwoven  with  an  yvie-winding  trayle : 

A goodly  worke,  full  fit  for  kingly  bowres ; 

Such  as  dame  Pallas,  such  as  Envie  pale, 

That  all  good  things  with  venomous  tooth  devowres, 

Could  not  accuse.” 

Spenser. 

“ She  wrought  so  well  in  needle- worke,  that  shee, 

Nor  yet  her  workes,  shall  ere  forgotten  be.” 

John  Taylor. 

HEN  this  volume  was  commenced,  a list  of  con- 
tents was  framed,  to  which  we  intended  to  adhere, 
and  each  chapter  has  been  written  in  accordance 
with  the  plan.  The  present  one  was  proceeding 
in  the  steps  of  its  predecessors,  when  we  dis- 
covered that  we  had  already  exceeded  the  limits  proposed,  and  we 


NEEDLEWORK  OF  THE  ENGLISH  QUEENS. 


251 


are  unwillingly  obliged  to  treat  this  interesting  portion  of  our 
subject  more  briefly  than  was  at  first  intended,  to  the  sacrifice  in- 
deed of  much  valuable  material. 

In  a former  chapter,  mention  has  been  made  of  the  works  of 
the  four  daughters  of  Edward  the  Elder,  as  also  of  the  astonish- 
ing labours  of  Matilda,  consort  of  William  the  Conqueror.  The 
second  wife  of  Henry  I, — Adelais,  the  daughter  of  Godfrey,  duke 
of  Lorraine, — was  celebrated  for  her  needlework  ; and  an  especial 
mention  is  made  of  an  embroidered  standard,  of  her  work. 

The  first  queen  of  Henry  VIII,  Katharine  of  Arragon,  devoted 
most  of  her  leisure  hours  to  needlework.  “ In  her  greatness,” 
says  Bishop  Burnet,  “ she  wrought  much  with  her  own  hands, 
and  kept  her  women  well  employed  about  her.”*  Shakspeare,  in 
the  third  act  of  his  Henry  VIII , represents  Katharine  as  engaged 
at  needlework  with  her  women,  when  the  two  cardinals,  Wolsey 
and  Campeius,  are  introduced  to  her  presence.  The  scene  com- 
mences with : — 

Q.  Kath.  Take  thy  lute  wench : my  soul  grows  sad  with  troubles : 

Sing,  and  disperse  them,  if  thou  canst : leave  working. 

Taylor,  also,  in  the  “ Needles  Excellency,”  speaks  of  her  as 
celebrated  for  her  needlework : — 

“ I Read  that  in  the  seventh  King  Henries  raigne, 

Fair  Katharine , Daughter  of  the  Castile  King, 

Came  into  England  with  a pompous  traine 
Of  Spanish  ladies,  which  she  thence  did  bring. 

She  to  the  eighth  King  Henry  married  was, 

And  afterwards  divorc’d,  where  vertuously 
(Although  a Oueene),  yet  she  her  days  did  passe 
In  working  with  the  Needle  curiously, 


* “ History  of  the  Reformation,”  p.  192. 


252 


NEEDLEWORK  OF  THE  ENGLISH  QUEENS. 


As  in  the  Towre,  and  places  more  beside, 

Her  excellent  memorialls  may  be  seene ; 

Whereby  the  Needle's  prayse  is  dignifide 
By  her  faire  Ladies,  and  herselfe  a Glueene. 

Thus  far  her  paines,  here  her  reward  is  iust, 

Her  workes  proclaime  her  prayse,  though  she  he  dust.” 


Anne  Boleyn,  who  was  educated  at  tbe  Court  of  Francis  I,  de- 
voted a large  portion  of  her  time  to  the  occupation  of  the  needle, 
in  working  tapestry.* 

Sir  Thomas  Chaloner,  in  his  elegy  on  Lady  Jane  Grey,  com 
mends  her  not  only  for  her  beauty,  but  also  for  that  which  was  a 
greater  charm,  her  intelligent  and  interesting  style  of  conversation. 
He  speaks  of  her  stupendous  skill  in  languages,  being  well  versed 
in  eight, — the  Latin,  Greek,  Hebrew,  Chaldaic,  Arabic,  French, 
and  Italian,  besides  that  of  her  native  land,  in  which  she  was 
well  grounded.  He  further  observes  that  she  was  a proficient  in 
instrumental  music,  wrote  a beautiful  hand,  and  was  as  excellent 
at  her  needle.f 

11  Of  broken  workes  wroght  many  a goodly  thing, 

In  castyng,  in  turnyng,  in  florishing  of  flowres, 

With  burres  rowgh,  and  buttens  surffyllyng, 


* Vide  Miss  Benger’s  “ Life  of  Anne  Boleyn,”  vol.  i.  p.  125.  Peter  de 
Bourdeilles  (more  generally  known  by  the  name  of  Brantome),  in  his  Me- 
moires  des  Dames  illustres,”  informs  us,  that  Anne  de  Bretagne,  the  mother 
of  Claude,  wife  of  Francis  I,  assembled  three  hundred  of  the  children  of  the 
nobility  at  her  court,  where,  under  her  personal  superintendence,  they  were  in- 
structed in  the  accomplishments  becoming  their  rank:  and  that  the  girls  devoted 
a great  portion  of  their  time  to  the  working  of  tapestries. 

t In  the  Town  Library  at  Zurich,  are  three  autograph  Latin  letters  of  Lady 
Jane  Grey,  addressed  to  her  preceptor  Bullinger,  in  a beautifully  clear  and 
regular  hand ; — a few  grammatical  errors  have  been  remarked  in  them.  There 
is  also  a toilet,  embroidered  by  her,  which  she  presented  to  Bullinger. 


NEEDLEWORK  OF  T1IE  ENGLISH  QUEENS. 


253 


In  nedell  worke,  rasyng  byrdes  in  bowres, 

With  vertue  enbased  all  tymes  and  howres.”* 

Of  the  needlework  of  Queen  Mary,  we  have  now  no  traces,! 
but  from  the  following  sonnet  of  John  Taylor’s,  it  would  appear 
that  some  of  her  labours  were  in  existence  in  his  time. 

" Her  daughter  Mary  here  the  scepter  swaid, 

And  though  shee  were  a Queene  of  mighty  power, 

Her  memory  will  never  be  decaid, 

Which  by  her  workes  are  likewise  in  the  Tower, 

In  Windsor  Castle,  and  in  Hampton  Court, 

In  that  most  pompous  roome  call’d  Paradise : 

Who  euer  pleaseth  thither  to  resort, 

May  see  some  workes  of  hers,  of  wondrous  price. 

Her  greatnesse  held  it  no  dis-reputation 
To  take  the  Needle  in  her  Royall  hand ; 

Which  was  a good  example  to  our  Nation 
To  banish  idleness  from  out  her  Land. 

And  thus  this  Queene,  in  wisdome  thought  it  fit, 

The  needles  worke  pleas’d  her,  and  she  grac’d  it.” 

Queen  Elizabeth,  like  her  sister  Mary,  has  also  been  extolled 
by  the  same  author  for  her  needlework.  In  the  Bodleian  Library 
at  Oxford,  is  preserved  a copy  of  the  Epistles  of  St.  Paul,  the 
binding  of  which  is  said  to  have  been  embroidered  by  that  queen 
when  princess. 

“ When  this  great  Queene,  whose  memory  shall  not 
By  an}/’  terme  of  time  be  overcast : 

For  when  the  world,  and  all  therein  shall  rot 
Yet  shall  her  glorious  fame  for  ever  last. 


* Skelton’s  Crowne  of  Lawrell. 

t In  the  Library  of  the  British  Museum  is  preserved  Queen  Mary’s  Psalter. 
It  is  highly  illuminated ; the  exterior  bears  the  remains  of  what  was  once  a 
binding  of  splendid  embroidery. 


254 


NEEDLEWORK  OF  THE  ENGLISH  QUEENS. 


When  she  a maid,  had  many  troubles  past, 

From  Iayle  to  Iayle  by  Maries  angry  spleene ; 

And  Woodstocks  and  the  Tower  in  prison  fast, 

And  after  all  was  England’s  peerlesse  Clueene. 

Yet  howsoeuer  sorrow  came  or  went, 

She  made  the  Needle  her  companion  still, 

And  in  that  exercise  her  time  she  spent, 

As  many  living  yet  doe  know  her  skill, 

Thus  she  was  still  a Captive,  or  else  crownd, 

A Needle  woman  Royall  and  renown’ d.” 

To  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  needlework  was  a great  source  of 
amusement.  During  her  imprisonment  at  Tutbury  Castle,  it 
afforded  her  great  solace  at  those  intervals  not  devoted  to 
reading  and  composition.  At  the  time  she  held  her  court  in 
Scotland,  she  gave  four  or  five  hours  every  day  to  state  affairs  • 
she  was  accustomed  to  have  her  embroidery  frame  placed  in 
the  room  where  her  privy  council  met,  and  while  she  plied  her 
needle,  she  listened  to  the  discussions  of  her  ministers,  dis- 
playing* in  her  opinions  and  suggestions  a vigour  of  mind  and 
a quickness  of  perception  which  astonished  the  statesmen  around 
her  ; at  other  times,  she  applied  herself  to  literature,  particularly 
poetry  and  history.*  Several  pieces  of  the  work  of  this  unfor- 
tunate queen  are  preserved  in  the  castles  of  the  nobility  in 
Scotland.  At  Allanton  House,  was  formerly  a splendid  bed 
embroidered  by  Mary  Stuart  and  her  ladies  ; but  this  was  unfor- 
tunately burnt  by  accident.  At  Holyrood  Palace,  in  her  chamber, 
is  shewn  a box  covered  with  her  needlework. 

Of  the  industry  of  Queen  Mary,  Princess  of  Orange,  we  have 
some  remains  in  the  palace  at  Hampton  Court.  Needlework  was 
her  favourite  amusement.  “ She  used,”  says  Bishop  Burnet^ 
“ all  possible  methods  for  reforming  whatever  was  amiss ; she  took 


Mrs.  Jameson’s  Memoirs  of  celebrated  Female  Sovereigns}  vol.  i.  p.  243. 


NEEDLEWORK  OF  THE  ENGLISH  QUEENS. 


255 


ladies  off  from  that  idleness,  which  not  only  wasted  their  time, 
but  exposed  them  to  many  temptations.  She  engaged  many  both 
to  read  and  to  work  ; she  wrought  many  hours  a-day  herself, 
with  her  ladies  and  her  maids  of  honour  working  about  her,  while 
one  read  to  them  all.  The  female  part  of  the  court  had  been,  in 
the  former  reigns,  subject  to  much  censure  ; and  there  was  great 
cause  for  it  : but  she  freed  her  courts  so  entirely  from  all  sus- 
picion, that  there  was  not  so  much  as  a colour  for  discourses  of 
that  sort : she  did  divide  her  time  so  regularly,  between  her  closet 
and  business,  her  work  and  diversion,  that  every  minute  seemed 
to  have  its  proper  employment.”* 

The  late  dueen  Charlotte  was  exceedingly  fond  of  needlework, 
and  was  solicitous  that  the  princesses  should  excel  in  the  same 
amusing  art.  In  the  room  in  which  her  Majesty  used  to  sit  with 
her  family,  were  some  cane-bottomed  chairs,  and  when  playing 
about,  the  princesses  were  taught  the  different  stitches  on  this  rude 
canvas.  As  they  grew  older,  a portion  of  each  day  was  spent 
in  this  employment,  and  with  their  royal  mother  as  their  com- 
panion and  instructress,  they  became  accomplished  needlewomen. 

The  dueen  herself  embroidered  the  dresses  which  the  princesses 
wore  on  the  fete  given  on  the  occasion  of  the  Prince  of  Wales 
coming  of  age.  These  dresses  were  in  white  crepe,  embroidered 
with  silver  ; they  were  exceedingly  elegant,  and  so  we  are  told  were 
the  wearers.  Her  Majesty  likewise  embroidered  a dress  in  Dacca 
silk  for  the  Princess  Royal,  which  was  tastefully  and  beautifully 
executed.  Several  sets  of  chairs,  some  of  which  may  still  be  seen 
at  Frogmore  and  Windsor,  likewise  show  the  superiority  of  the 
royal"  needlework.  These  were  the  labours  of  her  younger  days, 
but  Her  Majesty  afterwards  amused  her  leisure  hours  with  knit- 


History  of  his  own  Time,  vol.  iv.  p.  225. 


256 


NEEDLEWORK  OF  THE  ENGLISH  QUEENS. 


ting  and  knotting,  and  the  amount  of  work  so  done  is  perfectly 
marvellous.  Towards  the  close  of  her  life,  finer  works  were 
thrown  aside,  and  Her  Majesty  taking  altogether  to  knitting,  the 
poorest  of  her  subjects  (as  we  are  informed  on  indisputable 
authority)  profited  by  these — the  labours  of  a queen. 

The  Princess  Royal,  Queen  of  Wiirtemberg,  devoted  much  of 
her  time  to  needlework.  Among  the  principal  ornaments  of 

the  handsome  palace  of  the  King  of  Wiirtemberg  at  Stuttgart, 
are  the  beautiful  and  elaborate  specimens  of  needlework,  covering 
chairs,  sofas,  screens,  and  other  articles  of  furniture,  all  specimens 
of  the  skill,  patience,  and  taste  of  the  late  lamented  queen. 
The  Princess  Sophia  particularly  excelled  in  needlework,  and  it 
was  also  the  favourite  occupation  of  the  Princesses  Augusta 

and  Amelia. 

The  Princess  Mary,  Duchess  of  Gloucester,  daily  amuses  her- 
self with  her  needle  ; and  scarcely  a charity  bazaar  is  held, 
to  which  she  does  not  contribute  some  of  the  work  of  her 

own  hands.  We  believe  that  Her  Royal  Highness  refuses  even 
any  assistance,  however  trifling,  in  the  labours  she  once 

undertakes.  . 

The  work  done  by  the  late  Duchess  of  York,  at  Oatlands,  is 
now  widely  dispersed.  The  Duchess  was  the  projector  and 
arranger  of  all,  but  she  was  assisted  in  the  execution  by  her 
ladies  and  protegees.  Her  labours  are  so  various  and  of  such 
magnitude,  as  almost  to  defy  belief.  Berlin  patterns  were  then 
unknown,  or  but  just  invented,  and  her  designs  were  all  drawn 
on  the  canvas.  In  one  of  the  ante-rooms  at  Buckingham 

Palace,  are  a sofa  and  six  elbow  chairs,  the  work  of  Her 
Royal  Highness.  The  backs,  seats,  sides,  and  borders,  both  in- 

side and  out,  are  entirely  of  needlework.  The  pattern  on  the 
back  and  seat  of  the  sofa  is  a basket  turned  on  one  side,  out 


NEEDLEWORK  OF  THE  ENGLISH  QUEENS.  257 

of  which  flowers  are  falling,  so  arranged  as  to  extend  over  the 
centres  ; these  are  surrounded  with  a border  of  various  leaves 
in  different  shades  of  green  : amongst  which  are  the  ivy,  vine, 
shamrock,  and  thistle.  The  flowers  and  borders  are  in  tent 
stitch  ; the  ground  is  in  German  stitch.  There  is  a deep 

border  in  front  of  the  sofas  and  chairs,  in  marron,  with  a kind 
of  arabesque,  or  rather  that  style  of  border  much  used  in  the 
time  of  Louis  Quatorze  ; the  ground  of  this  is  different,  but  ex- 
tremely rich,  and  the  colours  on  it  are  so  thoroughly  brought  out 
that  the  effect  is  perfect.  The  ends  of  the  sofa,  both  inside  and 
outside,  are  worked  to  match.  The  ground  is  now  a cream 
colour,  but  we  suppose  it  to  have  been  white  ; the  chairs  match 
the  sofa,  and  they  are  alike  beautiful  in  taste,  design,  and  exe- 
cution ; they  are  all  done  in  silk.  There  was  also  another  set  of 
furniture  worked  by  the  Duchess  of  York,  consisting  of  chairs, 
ottomans,  and  sofas,  in  tent  stitch,  drawn  out  on  satin,  and  we  do 
not  know  of  any  work  in  fit  tire  previously  to  this  date. 

Did  we  not  fear  to  intrude  on  the  sacred  threshold  of  Queen 
Adelaide’s  retirement,  how  much  might  be  said  of  her  extended 
and  useful  labours.  Her  introduction  of  needlework  as  a fashion, 
and  making  it  a requisite  to  those  ladies  who  were  the  invited 
guests  at  her  court,  caused  many  to  admire,  and  in  time  be- 
come skilled  in  that  which  was  only  taken  up  for  convenience. 
The  splendid  works  which  might  be  cited  of  many  ladies  of  the 
present  day  would  never  perhaps  otherwise  have  been  in  existence ; 
and,  through  this,  thousands  in  the  humbler  ranks  of  life  have 
been  and  are  supported,  not  to  mention  that  much  ingenuity  and 
taste  are  daily  called  forth  which  might  have  been  unknown. 

We  understand  that  Her  Majesty  and  her  Royal  Highness  the 
Duchess  of  Kent  are  admirers  of  needlework,  and  patronise  it. 


CHAPTER  XXII 


Conclusion. 


THE  PRAISE  OF  THE  NEEDLE. 


“ Taylor,  their  better  Charon,  lends  an  oar, 

Once  swan  of  Thames,  though  now  he  sings  no  more.,, 

Pope’s  Dunciad. 

N the  course  of  this  volume,  we  have  frequently 
quoted  from  a poem,  written  by  John  Taylor, 
the  water-poet,  and  prefixed  to  a work,  entitled 
“ The  Needle’s  Excellency,  of  which  the  twelfth 
edition  was  published  in  1640.  This  work  being 
extremely  rare,  we  are  tempted  to  reprint  this  poem  verbatim  from 
the  original  edition.* 


* A copy  of  this  book  was  in  the  collection  of  the  late  Francis  Douce,  Esq. 
which  he  bequeathed  to  the  Bodleian  Library,  at  Oxford.  It  is  an  oblong 
quarto.  The  title  runs  thus  : — “ The  Needle’s  Excellency  A New  Booke 
wherein  are  diuers  Admirable  Workes  wrought  with  the  needle.  Newly  inuented 
and  cut  in  Copper  for  the  pleasure  and  profit  of  the  Industrious.  Printed  for 
James  Boler,  and  are  to  be  sold  at  the  Signe  of  the  Marigold  in  Paules  Church 
yard.  The  12th  Edition  enlarged  with  diuers  new  workes  as  needleworkcs 


THE  PRAISE  OF  THE  NEEDLE. 


259 


THE  PRAISE  OF  THE  NEEDLE. 

**To  all  dispersed  sorts  of  arts  and  trades, 

J writ  the  needles  prayse  (that  never  fades) 

So  long  as  children  shall  be  got  or  borne, 

So  long  as  garments  shall  be  made  or  worne, 

So  long  as  Kemp  or  Flax  or  Sheep  shall  bear 
Their  linnen  woollen  fleeces  yeare  by  yeare: 

So  long  as  Silk-wormes,  with  exhausted  spoile, 

Of  their  own  Entrailes  for  mans  gaine  shall  toyle : 
Yea  till  the  world  be  quite  dissolu’d  and  past ; 

So  long  at  least,  the  Needles  use  shall  last: 

And  though  from  earth  his  being  did  begin, 

Yet  through  the  fire  he  did  his  honour  win : 

And  vnto  those  that  doe  his  service  lacke, 

Hee’s  true  as  steele  and  mettle  to  the  backe. 

He  hath  I per  se  eye,  small  single  sight, 

Yet  like  a Pigmy,  Polipheme  in  fight : 

As  a stout  Captaine,  bravely  he  leades  on, 

(Not  fearing  colours)  till  the  worke  be  done, 

Through  thicke  and  thinne  he  is  most  sharpely  set, 
With  speed  through  stitch,  he  will  the  conquest  get 
And  as  a souldier  Frenchefyde  with  heat, 

Maim’d  from  the  warres  is  forc’d  to  make  retreat ; 

So  when  a Needles  point  is  broke,  and  gone, 

No  point  Mounsieur , he’s  maim’d,  his  worke  is  done 
And  more  the  Needles  honour  to  advance, 

It  is  a Taylors  Iavelin,  or  his  Launoe ; 


purles  & others  neuer  before  printed.  1640.”  On  the  title  page  is  an  engrav- 
ing of  three  ladies  in  a flower  garden,  under  the  names  of  Wisdome,  Industrie, 
and  Follie.  “ The  praise  of  the  Needle,”  as  given  above,  is  prefixed  to  the 
work,  then  “ Here  follow  certaine  Sonnets  in  the  Honorable  memory  of  Queenes 
and  great  Ladies,  who  have  bin  famous  for  their  rare  Inventions  and  practise 
with  the  Needle.”  There  are  six  sonnets  to  Queen  Elizabeth,  the  Countess  of 
Pembroke,  and  others ; — some  of  which  we  have  quoted  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ter. The  seventh  is  addressed  “ To  all  degrees  of  both  sexes,  that  love  or  liue 
by  the  laudable  imployment  of  the  needle.”  Another  copy  of  this  book  is  pre- 
served in  the  Library  of  the  British  Museum.  It  appears  to  have  gone  through 
twelve  impressions ; and  its  scarcity  is  accounted  for  by  the  supposition,  that 
such  books  were  generally  cut  to  pieces,  and  used  by  women  to  work  upon  or 
transfer  to  their  samplers. 


260  THE  PRAISE  OF  THE  NEEDLE. 

And  for  my  Countries  quiet,  I should  like, 

That  women-kinde  should  vse  no  other  Pike. 

It  will  increase  their  peace,  enlarge  their  stor 
To  use  their  tongues  lesse,  and  their  Needles  more, 

The  Needles  sharpenesse,  profit  yeelds,  and  pleasure, 

But  sharpenesse  of  the  tongue,  bites  out  of  measure. 

A Needle  (though  it  be  but  small  and  slender) 

Yet  it  is  both  a maker  and  a mender : 

A graue  Reformer  of  old  Rents  decay d, 

Stops  holes  and  seames  and  desperate  cuts  displayd, 

And  thus  without  the  Needle  we  may  see 
We  should  without  our  Bibs  and  Biggins  bee; 

No  shirts  or  Smockes,  our  nakednesse  to  hide, 

No  garments  gay,  to  make  us  magnifide : 

No  shadowes,  Shapparoones,  Caules,  Bands,  Rufis,  Kuffs, 
No  Kerchiefes,  Gluoyfes,  Chin-clouts,  or  Marry-Muffes, 
No  cros-cloaths,  Aprons,  Hand-kerchiefes,  or  Falls, 

No  Table-cloathes,  for  Parlours  or  for  Halls, 

No  Sheetes,  no  Towels,  Napkins,  Pillow-beares, 

Nor  any  Garment  man  or  woman  weares. 

Thus  is  a Needle  prov’d  an  instrument 
Of  profit,  pleasure,  and  of  ornament. 

Which  mighty  Glueenes  haue  grac’d  in  hand  to  take 
And  high  borne  Ladies  such  esteeme  did  make, 

That  as  their  Daughters  Daughters  up  did  grow 
The  Needles  Art,  they  to  their  children  show. 

And  as  ’twas  then  an  exercise  of  praise, 

So  what  deserves  more  honour  in  these  dayes, 

Than  this  I which  daily  doth  itselfe  expresse, 

A mortall  enemy  to  idlenesse. 

The  use  of  Sewing  is  exceeding  old, 

As  in  the  sacred  Text  it  is  enrold : 

Our  Parents  first  in  Paradise  began, 

Who  hath  descended  since  from  man  to  man: 

The  mothers  taught  their  Daughters,  Sires  their  Sons, 
Thus  in  a line  successively  it  runs 
For  generall  profit,  and  for  recreation, 

From  generation  unto  generation. 

Vfith  work  like  Cherubinis  Embroidered  rare, 

The  Covers  of  the  Tabernacle  were. 

And  by  the  Almighti’s  great  command,  we  see, 

That  Aarons  Garments  broydered  worke  should  De ; 


THE  PRAISE  OF  THE  NEEDLE. 


261 


And  further,  God  did  bid  his  Vestments  should 
Be  made  most  gay,  and  glorious  to  behold. 

Thus  plainly,  and  most  truly  is  declar’d 
The  needles  worke  hath  still  bin  in  regard, 

For  it  doth  art,  so  like  to  natvre  frame, 

As  if  it  were  her  Sister,  or  the  same. 

Flowers,  Plants,  and  Fishes,  Beasts,  Birds,  Flyes,  and  Bees, 
Hils,  Dales,  Plaines,  Pastures,  Skies,  Seas,  Rivers,  Trees ; 
There’s  nothing  neere  at  hand,  or  farthest  sought, 

But  with  the  Needle  may  be  shap’d  and  wrought 
In  clothes  of  Arras  I have  often  seene, 

Men’s  figurd  counterfeits  so  like  haue  beene, 

That  if  the  parties  selfe  had  beene  in  place, 

Yet  art  would  vye  with  natvre  for  the  grace. 

Moreover,  Poisies  rare,  and  Anagrams, 

Signifique  searching  sentences  from  names, 

True  History,  or  various  pleasant  fiction, 

In  sundry  colours  mixt,  with  Arts  commixion, 

All  in  Dimension,  Ovals,  Squares,  and  Rounds, 

Arts  life  included  within  Natures  bounds : 

So  that  Art  seemeth  meerely  naturall, 

In  forming  shapes  so  Geometricall ; 

And  though  our  Country  everywhere  is  fild 
With  Ladies,  and  with  Gentlewomen,  skild 
In  this  rare  Art,  yet  here  they  may  discerne 
Some  things  to  teach  them  if  they  list  to  learne 
And  as  this  booke  some  cunning  workes  doth  teach, 

(Too  hard  for  meane  capacities  to  reach) 

So  for  weake  learners,  other  workes  here  be, 

As  plaine  and  easie  as  are  ABC. 

Thus  skilfull,  or  unskillfull,  each  may  take 
This  booke,  and  of  it  each  good  use  may  make, 

All  sortes  of  workes,  almost  that  can  be  nam’d, 

Here  are  directions  how  they  may  be  fram’d : 

And  for  this  kingdomes  good  are  hither  come, 

From  the  remotest  parts  of  Christendome, 

Collected  with  much  paines  and  industry, 

From  scorching  Spaine  and  freezing  Muscovie , 

From  fertill  France , and  pleasant  Italy , 

From  Poland , Sweden , Denmarke , Germany , 

And  some  of  these  rare  Patternes  haue  beene  fct 
Beyond  the  bonds  of  faithlesse  Mahomet: 


24 


262 


THE  PRAISE  OF  THE  NEEDLE. 


From  spacious  China , and  those  Kingdomes  East, 

And  from  Great  Mexico , the  Indies  West. 

Thus  are  these  workes,  fane  fetcht , and  dearely  bought , 

And  consequently  good  for  Ladies  thought . 

Nor  doe  I degrodate  (in  any  case) 

Or  doe  esteeme  of  other  teachings  base, 

For  Tent-worke , Raisd-worke , Laid-worke,  Frost-worke,  Net-worke, 

Most  curious  Purles , or  rare  Italian  Cutworke , 

Fine  Feme-stitch,  Finny-stitch , New-stitch , and  Chain-stitch , 

Braue  Bred-stitch , Fisher -stitch,  Irish-stitch,  and  Queen-stitch , 

The  Spanish-stitch , Rosemary -stitch,  and  Mowse-stitch, 

The  smarting  Whip-stitch , Back-stitch,  & the  Crosse-stitch , 

All  these  are  good,  and  these  we  must  allow, 

And  these  are  everywhere  in  practise  now. 

And  in  this  Book,  there  are  of  these  some  store, 

With  many  others,  neur  seene  before. 

Here  Practise  and  Invention  may  be  free, 

And  as  a Squirrel  skips  from  tree  to  tree, 

So  maids  may  (from  their  Mistresse,  or  their  Mother) 

Learne  to  leaue  one  worke,  and  to  learne  an  other, 

For  here  they  make  may  choyce  of  which  is  which, 

And  skip  from  worke  to  worke,  from  stitch  to  stitch, 

Yntil,  in  time,  delightfull  practice  shall 
(With  profit)  make  them  perfect  in  them  all. 

Thus  hoping  that  these  workes  may  haue  this  guide, 

To  serue  for  ornament,  and  not  for  pride : 

To  cherish  vertue,  banish  idlenesse, 

For  these  ends,  may  this  booke  haue  good  successe.” 

Taylor  was  a very  remarkable  man ; and  among  other  of  his 
eccentricities,  he  undertook  to  perform  a journey  from  London  to 
the  Highlands,  with  a horse  and  servant,  without  a penny  in  his 
pocket,  and  engaging  not  to  receive  any  alms.  The  account  of 
this  journey,  which  he  wrote  partly  in  prose  and  partly  in  verse, 
is  a very  remarkable  picture  of  the  manners  of  that  period.  He 
was  welcomed  by  the  hospitality  of  his  countrymen  throughout 
this  journey,  and  he  appears  not  only  to  have  suffered  very  few 
privations,  but  to  have  fared  sumptuously  for  many  weeks. 

Winstanley,  in  his  “ Lives  of  the  Poets”  says,  “ He  was  born 


THE  PRAISE  OF  THE  NEEDLE. 


263 


in  Gloucestershire,  where  he  went  to  school ; and  was  afterwards 
bound  apprentice  to  a waterman  of  London,  a laborious  trade : and 
yet  though  it  be  said  that  ease  is  the  nurse  of  poetry,  yet  did  he 
not  only  follow  his  calling,  but  also  plyed  his  writings,  which  in 
time  produced  above  fourscore  books,  which  I have  seen ; besides 
several  others  unknown  to  me ; some  of  which  were  dedicated  to 
King  James  and  King  Charles  I,  and  by  them  well  accepted,  con- 
sidering the  meanness  of  his  education  to  produce  works  of  in- 
genuity.”# 


* Sir  Egerton  Brydges,  in  the  ‘ Censura  Litteraria,’  has  given  a long  list  of 
the  Water-poet’s  pieces  j and  in  his  ‘ Restituta’  the  same  diligent  explorer  of 
the  recondite  and  dusty  paths  of  literature,  has  laid  before  us  another  of  his 
marvellous  exploits,  together  with  an  abstract  of  another  work  of  Taylor’s  not 
entered  in  the  ‘ Censura.’ 

“This  scarce  tract  is  entitled,  ‘John  Taylor’s  last  Voyage  and  Adventure, 
performed  from  the  twentieth  of  July  last,  1641,  to  the  tenth  of  September  fol- 
lowing. In  which  time  he  passed,  with  a sculler’s  boat,  from  the  citie  of  Lon- 
don to  the  cities  and  townes  of  Oxford,  Gloucester,  Shrewsbury,  Bristol,  Bathe, 
Monmouth,  and  Hereford.  The  manner  of  his  passages  and  entertainment  to 
and  fro,  truly  described.  With  a short  touch  of  some  wandring  and  some  fixed 
schismatiques ; such  as  are  Brownists,  Anabaptists,  Famalies,  Humorists,  and 
Foolists,  which  the  author  found  in  many  places  of  his  voyage  and  journey. 
Printed  at  London  by  F.  L.  for  John  Taylor,  and  may  be  had  at  the  shoppe 
of  Thornes  Baites  in  the  Old  Baily,  1641,  8vo.,  pp.  32.’  ” 


. 


■ 


SUPPLEMENT 


TO  THE 


HAND-BOOK  OF  NEEDLEWORK. 

FROM 


wm,  mm&M  AM®  MIES, 


Philadelphia*. 

J.  L.  GIHON,  102  CHESTNUT  ST. 
1854. 


PREFACE. 


In  introducing  this  little  Work  to  the  notice  of  the  public, 
Mrs.  Gaugain  has  nothing  to  announce  farther  than  a repeti- 
tion of  what  she  has  before  said — that  nothing  more  is  requisite 
for  an  inexperienced  pupil  of  moderate  capacity  to  enable  her  to 
execute  any  of  the  following  elegant  designs,  than  a knowledge 
of  the  elementary  stitches  of  Knitting,  which  are  simply  those 
used  in  forming  a stocking:  viz. — a plain  stitch,  a back  stitch* 
or  seam  stitch,  a take-in  stitch,  and  an  increase  stitch, — all  of 
which  any  child  may  be  taught  in  the  short  space  of  half  an 
hour. 

It  may  not  be  here  out  of  place  to  mention,  that  all  the  terms 
used  in  this  book  will  be  found  explained  on  the  folding  leaf  or 
table,  which  can  be  extended  while  working  any  of  the  receipts ; 
and  will  thus  save  much  trouble  in  turning  over  the  leaves. 


* A back  stitch  by  many  knitters  is  termed  a seam  stitch,  from  its  being  u sed  to 
form  a line  down  a stocking,  in  imitation  of  a seam. 


SIGNS  USED  IN  THE  KNITTING  KECEIPTS. 


A,  take  in  three  loops  into  one,  by  slipping  the  first  loop  off  backwards, 
without  knitting ; knit  the  second  and  third  loops  together,  then  lift  the  first 
over  the  taken-in  loop. 

B,  a back,  ribbed,  seam,  or  pearl  stitch,  by  knitting  it  off  backwards  with 
wool  in  front  of  pin  ; all  back  or  pearled  stitches  must  be  done  so,  (having 
wool  in  front,  before  commencing  the  stitch.) 

B3  or  B6,  three  or  six  back  stitches;  the  figures  indicate  the  number  of 
stitches  to  be  worked. 

O,  make  a stitch,  by  bringing  the  thread  to  the  front,  (by  passing  it  under 
the  right  wire,  to  the  front.) 

Ob,  make  a back  or  pearled  stitch,  by  casting  the  thread  quite  round  the 
wire. 

P,  a plain  stitch  or  loop. 

P2  or  P4,  two,  or  four  plain  stitches  or  loops,  as  the  figures  may  be. 

S,  slip  stitch,  take  off  a stitch  without  working,  as  if  you  were  going  to 
work  a back  stitch. 

S2,  slip  two  stitches  off  without  working. 

T take  in  (or  narrow)  stitch,  by  knitting  two  loops  together. 

Ts,  take  in,  by  slipping  the  first  loop ; knit  the  next ; slip  the  first  over 
the  knit  one. 

j^,  take  in  back  stitch,  by  pearling  two  together,  having  the  wool  in  front. 

How,  signifies  a row  from  one  end  of  pin  to  the  other. 

Hound,  a row  quite  round,  when  the  work  is  done  on  more  wires  than 
two. 

Plain  row,  a row  all  plain  stitches. 

Back,  or  pearl  row,  a row  worked  exactly  contrary  to  the  plain  row. 

Front  row,  is  worked  with  the  thread  behind. 

Back  row,  with  the  thread  in  front. 

Bring  forward,  bring  the  thread  in  front,  so  as  to  make  an  open  stitch. 

Cast  off,  by  knitting  the  two  first  stitches,  slip  the  first  stitch  over  the 
second;  knit  a third,  and  slip  the  second  over  the  third  one;  continue  in  this 
way  till  the  whole  is  cast  off. 


' 


MINIATURE 


KNITTING,  NETTING,  AND  CROCHET  BOOK. 


KNITTING. 


QUEEN  VICTORIA  LONG  PURSE. 

Worked  in  stripes,  running  round  the  Purse,  of  mazarine  blue  and 
white,  or  fawn.  If  for  a bride’s  purse,  white  silk  and  extra  fine  gold 
twist.  For  a gentleman,  black  and  cerise  colour.  Two  pins,  No.  19, 
and  2 hanks  each  colour,  are  required. 

Cast  on  90  stitches  with  mazarine  blue. 

1st  Row,  Ob,  j^,  repeat  to  end  of  row. 

2nd  Row,  plain. 

3rd  Row,  plain. 

4th  Row,  pearl. 

5tli  Row,  with  White,  j,,  Ob,  repeat  to  end  all  but  2 stitches,  work  them  jJ. 

6th  Row,  *0,  plain  all  the  rest  of  row. 

7tli  Row,  plain. 

8th  Row,  pearl. 

Repeat  from  first  row  with  white  and  blue  until  you  have  9 inches 
worked.  Cast  it  off;  damp  and  stretch  it  on  a stretcher  until  dry  ; sew 
up  a third  for  each  side  of  Purse  ; draw  up  the  cast-on  and  cast-off 
rows  for  each  end  ; attach  tassels  and  rings  of  gold  or  steel. 


O,  bring  the  thread  before  the  wire  to  make  the  O,  then  work  the  plain  row. 

25 


274 


KNITTING. 


LONG  PURSE,  PRETTY  OPEN  STITCH. 

This  very  pretty  Purse  is  worked  in  shaded  silk,  or  plain.  Three 
hanks  of  any  colour  of  second  sized  purse  silk,  and  two  wires  of  No. 
19  are  required.  (It  is  much  enriched,  and  looks  well  with  steel  or 
gold  beads  in  every  other  row ; one  bead  between  the  T and  P.) 
When  worked,  damp  and  pin  it  out  till  dry  ; make  it  up  as  the  fore- 
going purse,  by  drawing  up  the  cast-on  and  cast-off  ends,  &c.  Cast  on 
72  stitches. 

1st  Row,  O,  T,  P,  repeat  to  end. 

2nd  Row,  Ob,  B. 

Repeat  as  these  two  rows,  until  you  have  9 inches  worked. 

If  a fine  Purse  is  wished,  the  third-sized  twist,  and  wires  No.  21 
are  required. 

SET  OF  OPEN  SQUARE  D’OYLEYSw 


( Cut  represents  First  pattern.') 

Eighteen  is  the  general  number  knit,  therefore  9 of  each  pattern  is 
required.  One  hank  of  Dutch  cotton  No.  14,  and  2 wires  No.  20,  are 
required  for  each. 


Note  — These  are  quite  different  from  the  Twenty-one  close  D’oyleys. 


KNITTING. 


275 


FIRST  PATTERN 

Cast  on  72  stitches,  and  work  12  plain  rows. 

13th  Row,  P6,  edge  stitches,  P,  T,  O,  P,  O,  T,  repeat,  edge  stitches,  P6. 

14th  Row,  P6,  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P6. 

15tli  Row,  P6,  T,*  edge  stitches,  O,  P3,  O,  A,  repeat,  all  but  ten  stitches, 

work  them  thus,  O,  P3,  O,  T,  edge  stitches,  P5. 

16th  Row,  P6,  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P6. 

17th  Row,  P5,*  edge  stitches,  T,  O,  P4,  repeat,  edge  stitches,  P7. 

18th  Row,  P6,  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P6. 

19th  Row,  P7,*  edge  stitches,  O,  T,  P,  T,  O,  P,  repeat,  all  but  11  stitches, 
work  them  thus,  O,  T,  P,  T,  O,  edge  stitches,  P6. 
20th  Row,  P6,  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P6. 

21st  Row,  P8,*  edge  stitches,  O,  A,  O,  P3,  repeat,  all  but  10  stitches, 
work  them  thus,  O,  A,  O,  P,  edge  stitches,  P6. 
22nd  Row,  P6,  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P6. 

23rd  Row,  P6,  edge  stitches,  P2,  T,  O,  P2,  repeat,  edge  stitches,  P6. 

24th  Row,  P6,  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P6. 

Continue  repeating  from  13th  row,  until  you  have  a square  all  but 
the  12  plain  rows  ; work  them.  Cast  off. 

SECOND  D’oYLEY  PATTERN. 

Cast  on  72  stitches.  Work  12  plain  rows  before  commencing. 

13th  Row,  P6,  edge  stitches,  P4,  O,  A,  O,  P3,  repeat,  edge  stitches,  P7. 

14tli  Row,  P6,  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P6. 

15th  Row,  P6,  edge  stitches,  P2,  T,  O,  P3,  O,  T,  P,  edge  stitches,  P7. 

16th  Row,  P6,  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P6. 

17th  Row,  P6,  edge  stitches,  P,  T,  O,  P5,  O,  T,  edge  stitches,  P7. 

18th  Row,  P6,  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P6. 


Observe  the  changes  in  the  edges. 


276 


KNITTING. 


19th  Row,  P6,  T,*  edge  stitches,  O,  P7,  O,  A,  edge  stitches,  O,  P7,  O,  T,  PG. 


20th  Row,  P6,  edge  stitches, 
21st  Row,  P6,  edge  stitches, 
22d  Row,  P6,  edge  stitches, 
23d  Row,  P6,  edge  stitches, 
24th  Row  P6,  edge  stitches, 


pearl,  all  but 

P2,  O,  T,  P3,  T,  O,  P, 

pearl,  all  but 

P3,  O,  T,  P,  T,  O,  P2, 

pearl,  all  but 


edge  stitches,  P6. 
edge  stitches,  P7. 
edge  stitches,  P6. 
edge  stitches,  P7. 
edge  stitches,  P6. 


Repeat,  until  you  have  a square  all  but  12  plain  rows,  then  work 
these  12  plain  rows,  to  correspond  with  the  beginning.  Cast  it  off. 
Finish  with  a narrow  fringe  ; a cut  one  is  best,  as  it  can  be  combed 
out  when  washed. 


PRINCESS  royal’s  MUFF,  SCALE  STITCH. 


This  Muff,  in  imitation  of  Chinchilla  Fur,  or  Siberian  Lamb’s  Skin, 
is  extremely  simple  and  pretty.  Twelve  shades  of  clear  bright  grey, 
the  darkest  shade  about  two  shades  from  black,  the  lightest  the  next 
shade  to  white.  They  are  worked  from  dark  to  light,  and  then  from 
light  to  dark,  as  the  following  receipt  will  show.  About  six  small 
hanks  of  each  shade,  and  two  bone  pins,  No.  7,  are  required. — It  is  all 
worked  with  Berlin  wool,  wound  double. 

Cast  on,  for  a child,  61  stitches  ; for  a lady,  81. 

1st  Row,  (with  darkest  shade,)  P,  S,  repeat  to  end,  edge  stitch  P. 

2nd  Row,  plain  all  the  row,  edge  stitch  P. 

Repeat  as  1st  and  2nd  Rows,  with  the  2nd,  3rd,  4th,  5th,  6th,  7th, 
8th,  9th,  10th,  1 1th  and  12th  shades,  then  1 1th,  10th,  9th,  8th,  7th,  6th, 
5th,  4th,  3rd,  and  2nd.  This  finishes  one  stripe.  Work  four  stripes 
for  a child,  and  about  five  for  a lady.  Make  it  up  by  joining  the  cast- 
off and  cast-on  rows  together  (on  the  wrong  side).  Roll  up  a sheet  and 


* Observe,  there  is  a T in  this  edge. 


KNITTING. 


277- 


a half  of  wadding,  folded  into  a stripe  of  about  three-eighths  wide,  to 
the  size  that  will  admit  of  the  work  slipping  over  it,  then  draw  it  up 
round  the  arm  holes ; sew  on  a thick  shaded  twisted  cord  about  one 
quarter  of  a yard,  for  each  arm  hole. 

Cuffs  are  very  pretty  and  warm  worked  in  this  way,  for  wearing 
over  gown  sleeves. 

COMFORT,  SCALE  STITCH. 

This  Comfort  for  a gentleman  is  in  the  same  stitch  as  foregoing 
Muff.  Work  in  claret,  four  plies  fleecy,  or  very  dark  blue.  About  six 
hanks  fleecy,  and  two  pins  No.  7,  are  required. 

Cast  on  71  stitches  ; work  it  until  it  is  the  length  required. 

A Comfort  of  proper  length  should  go  twice  round  the  neck,  and  the 
ends  long  enough  to  cover  the  chest.  When  finished,  it  is  folded  dou- 
ble, (the  long  way.) 

baby’s  hood,  garter  stitch. 

This  Hood  is  worked  with  three  plies  white  fleecy.  Work  80  rows. 
Roll  up  60  rows,  which  form  the  front ; then  sew  together  three  inches 
of  the  cast-on  part ; draw  up  the  remainder  of  the  cast-on  part  for 
the  crown.  Cast  on  for  back  curtain,  50  loops ; work  40  rows. 
When  worked,  line  it  with  white  satin,  shaped  as  a cap,  and  three 
rows  of  narrow  satin  ribbon  drawn  through  the  forehead,  and  finished 
by  a rosette  of  same  ribbon.  Two  skeins  of  fleecy,  and  two  pins  of 
No.  2 are  required. 

1st  Row,  S edge  stitch,  rest  plain. 

Repeat  as  this  Row  till  the  whole  is  finished. 

baby’s  coverlet,  in  garter  stitch. 

This  light  and  pretty  Coverlet  is  worked  in  stripes  of  blue  and  white 


278 


KNITTING.  ' 


alternately.  Eight  skeins  of  blue,  nine  plies  fleecy,  and  six  of  white 
are  required.  Two  pins  No.  2. 

Cast  on  with  blue  130  stitches. 

1st  Row,  S edge  stitch,  plain. 

2nd  Row,  S edge  stitch,  plain. 

Repeat  as  these  two  rows  until  you  have  about  inches  wide  of 
blue  worked.  Then  work  the  white  about  3 inches  wide.  Continue 
working  the  white  and  blue  alternately  until  it  is  finished. 

FRINGE. 

This  Fringe  is  useful  for  trimming  Baby’s  Coverlets,  Shawls,  Scarfs, 
D’oyley’s,  &c.,  &c.  It  is  worked  with  the  wool  wound  double. 

Cast  on  8 stitches. 

1st  Row,  Ob,  repeat. 

Continue  working  as  this  row  until  you  have  as  much  done  as  will 
go  round  the  Coverlet ; cast  off  four  stitches,  pull  down  the  other  four 
all  along  the  Fringe. 


VERY  BEAUTIFUL  TIDY.* 


For  backs  of  Chairs,  ends  and  backs  of  Sofas.  (It  is  also  useful  for 


* This  is  the  same  pattern  as  the  Open  Mitten,  and  the  Baby’s  Cap,  and  same 
as  centre  of  Shetland  Shawl,  all  of  which  are  most  beautiful. 


KNITTING.  279 

Scarfs,  Bed-Covers,  Shawls,  &c.)  Three  hanks  Dutch  cotton,  No.  18, 

and  2 bone  pins,  No.  12,  are  required. 

Cast  on  112  stitches.  Work  8 plain  rows. 

9th  Row,  S,  P4,  edge  stitches,  P4,  T,  P2,  O,  T,  O,  T,  O,  P,  O,  P2,  T ; 

repeat  5 more  times,  edge  stitches,  P5. 

10th  Row,  S,  P4,  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P5. 

11th  Row,  S,  P4,  edge  stitches,  P3,  T,  P2,  O,  T,  O,  T,  O,  P3,  O,  P2. 

fT,  P2,  T,  P2,  O,  T,  O,  T,  O,  P3,  O,  P2;  repeat  from  mark 
thus  f 4 more  times,  edge  stitches,  T,  P4. 

12th  Row,  S,  P4,  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P5. 

13th  Row,  S,  P4,  edge  stitches,  T,  T,  P2,  O,  T,  O,  T,  O,  P5,  O,  P2 ; 

repeat  5 more  times,  edge  stitches,  P5. 

14th  Row,  S,  P4,  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P5. 

15th  Row,  S,  P4,  edge  stitches,  T,  P2,  O,  P,  O,  T,  O,  T,  O,  P2,  T, 
P4,  edge  stitches,  P5. 

16th  Row,  S,  P4,  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P5. 

17th  Row,  S,  P4,  T,  edge  stitches,  P,  O,  P3,  O,  T,  O,  T,  O,  P2,  T,  P2, 
T— f P2,  O,  P3,  O,  T,  O,  T,  O,  P2,  T,  P2,  T ; repeat 
from  mark  thus  f 3 more  times ; then  P2,  O,  P3,  O,  T, 
O,  T,  O,  P2,  T,  P3,  edge  stitches,  P5. 

18th  Row,  S,  P4,  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P5. 

19th  Row,  S,  P4,  edge  stitches,  P2,  O,  P5,  O,  T,  O,  T,  O,  P2,  T,  T ; 

repeat,  edge  stitches,  P5. 

20th  Row,  S,  P4,  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P5. 

Repeat  from  9th  row,  until  the  work  measures  one  square  and  a 

half ; then  work  the  8 plain  rows  as  at  the  beginning  ; cast  it  off. 

Note. — When  washed,  it  should  be  slightly  starched. 

EDGING. 

Pins  and  cotton  as  in  former  Receipt. 

Cast  on  1 1 stitches. 

1st  Row,  S,  P2,  O,  T,  O,  T,  02,  T,  02,  T. 


280 


KNITTING. 


2nd  Row,  P2,  B,  P2,  B,  P2,  O,  T,  O,  T,  P. 

3rd  Row,  S,  P2,  O,  T,  O,  T,  P6. 

4th  Row,  cast  off  2 stitches.  Work  the  remainder  thus,  P5,  O,  T,  O,  T,  P. 

Repeat  from  first  row,  until  you  have  the  length  required  to  go 
round  it ; cast  it  off,  and  sew  it  on  Tidy. 

PRINCE  ALBERT  PURSE. 

This  is  a very  handsome  purse,  knit  in  two  colours  of  Albert  blue, 
and  deepish  buff  (or  gold  colour)  silk,  and  steel  beads.  On  the  blue 
stripes,  there  is  a row  of  steel  beads ; the  buff  part  is  three  rows  of 
open  stitch.  One  reel  of  each  of  the  silks,  2 wires  of  No.  19,  and  8 
rows  of  No.  10,  steel  beads,  are  required. 

Cast  on  122  stitches  with  Albert  blue. 

1st  Row,  plain. 

2nd  Row,  plain. 

3rd  Row,  pearl. 

4th  Row,  *plain ; every  stitch  put  down  a bead. 

5th  Row,  pearl. 

6th  Row,  plain.  When  worked,  tie  on  the  buff,  and  work  with  it  as  fol- 
lowing 7th  row. 

7th  Row,  P edge  stitch,  Ob,  ; repeat  to  end,  edge  stitch,  P. 

8th  Row,  pearl. 

9th  Row,  P edge  stitch,  j,,  Ob ; repeat  to  end,  edge  stitch,  P. 

10th  Row,  pearl. 

11th  Row,  P edge  stitch,  Ob,  ; repeat  to  end,  edge  stitch,  P. 

12th  Row,  pearl.  Now  tie  on  blue,  and  work  as  following  13th  row. 

13th  Row,  plain. 

14th  Row,  plain. 


* Work  a plain  stitch,  then  pass  a bead  quite  down  to  the  stitch  worked : then 
work  another  stitch  and  pass  a bead  down.  Continue  in  the  same  way  to  the  end. 


KNITTING. 


281 


15th  Row,  pearl. 

16tli  Row,  plain ; every  stitch  put  down  a bead. 

17th  Row,  pearl. 

18th  Row,  plain.  Tie,  and  work  as  following  19th  row. 
19th  Row,  P edge  stitch,  j,,  Ob  ; repeat, 

20th  Row,  pearl. 

21st  Row,  P edge  stitch,  Ob,  ; repeat, 

22nd  Row,  pearl. 

23rd  Row,  P edge  stitch,  j^,  Ob ; repeat, 


edge  stitch,  P. 


edge  stitch,  P. 


edge  stitch,  P. 


24th  Row,  pearl. 

Repeat  from  first  row,  until  you  have  about  6 inches  worked ; then 
damp  it  slightly  with  a little  thin  gum  water.  Pin  it  straight  out,  or 
stretch  it  on  a stretcher,  till  dry  ; then  sew  up  the  cast-on  and  cast-off 
edges,  leaving  a space  for  admitting  the  money.  Draw  it  up  at  each 
end  ; add  tassels,  and  rings  of  steel. 

CHINEE  TRIANGULAR  WRAPPING  SHAWL,  GARTER  STITCII. 

Worked  in  shaded  Berlin  wool,  (or  it  can  be  worked  in  plain  wool, 
if  preferred,)  brown  for  border,  and  blue  or  pink  for  middle.  The 
Shawl  is  formed  into  a triangular  shape  simply  by  being  let  out  at  the 
slanting  side. 

Two  pins  No.  8,  4 ounces  of  the  centre  colour,  and  2 of  the  border 
are  required.  Cast  on  3 stitches. 

1st  Row,  S,  P2.  3rd  Row,  S,  P3. 

2nd  Row,  *0,  P3.  4th  Row,  O,  P4. 

Repeat  in  this  way  until  you  have  21  stitches  of  brown,  then  tie  on 
at  the  slanting  edge,  and  work  with  the  blue  as  follows : — 


* This  is  the  slanting  side.  To  form  the  O bring  the  thread  in  front  of  the  pin ; 
then  work  the  3 stitches  off  quite  plain ; by  this  you  will  perceive  you  have  4 stitches. 
This  O makes  a pretty  loop  all  along  the  slanting  side. 


282 


KNITTING. 


1st  Row,  introducing  blue,  O,  P,  blue,  *P20,  brown. 

2nd  Row,  S,  Pi 9,  brown,  P2,  blue. 

3rd  Row,  O,  P2,  blue,  P20,  brown. 

4th  Row,  S,  Pi 9,  brown,  P3,  blue. 

So  continue,  keeping  the  20  stitches  brown,  for  border,  and  always 
increasing,  as  before,  on  the  blue.  Continue  increasing  until  it  mea- 
sures 1^  yards,  then  work  about  38  rows  plain,  with  brown,  always 
letting  out,  as  before,  on  the  slanting  side. 


SUMMER  NECKERCHIEF. 

The  foregoing  Receipt,  worked  in  Berlin  wool,  white  centre,  and 
pink  or  blue  border,  on  No.  10  pins,  looks  extremely  well  for  a Sum- 
mer or  Dress  Neckerchief,  (consequently  it  is  not  worked  so  large.) 

SIMPLE  AND  PRETTY  DRESS  KNIT  CUFFS. 


Worked  with  Taylor’s  white  cotton,  No.  6,  and  2 wires,  No.  20. 
One  of  the  edgings  in  this  book  looks  well  sewed  to  the  top  and  bottom 
of  the  Cuffs.  Sew  3 small  common  hooks  so  as  to  hook  in  to  the  open 
part  of  work,  to  fit  the  wrist.  Cast  on  28  stitches,-  rather  loose. 

1st  Row,  Ob,  j^,  repeat  to  end.  Every  row  is  the  same. 

Continue,  until  you  have  sufficient  to  go  round  the  wrist. 


* P20,  before  working  the  first  stitch,  pass  the  brown  ball  to  the  back,  and  twist  it 
round  the  blue;  this  is  to  prevent  a gap  in  the  work. 


KNITTING. 


283 


ANOTHER  VERY  SIMPLE  CUFF. 


This  may  either  be  worn  with  an  edging  or  not.  Two  pins,  No. 
20,  and  a reel  of  Taylor’s  cotton,  No.  6,  are  required. 

Cast  on  32  stitches ; they  must  not  be  tightly  put  on. 

1st  Row,  S,  P,  edge  stitches,  Ts,  O,  P,  B ; repeat  to  end  of  row,  edge  P2. 

Repeat  until  you  have  sufficient  to  go  round  the  wrist.  Cast  it  off; 
add  hooks  same  as  the  foregoing  Cuff 

BEAUTIFUL  PURSE. 

The  foregoing  Receipt  makes  a beautiful  Purse.  Cast  on  110 
stitches.  Two  wires  of  No.  18,  and  3 hanks  2nd  sized  twist  are  re- 
quired ; work  about  9 inches,  then  cast  it  off. 

BEAUTIFUL  LACE  EDGING. 


This  Edging  is  sometimes  used  for  the  Shetland  Shawl  instead  of  a 
Fringe,  and  is  very  pretty  for  trimming  Tidies,  Bed-covers,  &c.  Cast 
on  14  stitches. 


284 


KNITTING. 


1st  Row,  S,  P2,  O,  T,  P,  O,  T,  P,  02,  T,  02,  T,  P. 

2nd  Row,  S,  P2,  B,  P2,  B,  P3,  O,  T,  P,  O,  T,  P. 

3rd  Row,  S,  P2,  O,  T,  P,  O,  T,  P3,  02,  T,  02,  T.  P. 

4tli  Row,  S,  P2,  B,  P2,  B,  P5,  O,  T,  P,  O,  T,  P. 

5th  Row,  S,  P2,  O,  T,  P,  O,  T,  P5,  02,  T,  02,  T,  P. 

6th  Row,  S,  P2,  B,  P2,  B,  P7.  O,  T,  P,  O,  T,  P. 

7th  Row,  S,  P2,  O,  T,  P,  O,  T,  P7,  02,  T,  02,  T,  P. 

8th  Row,  S,  P2,  B,  P2,  B,  P9,  O,  T,  P,  O,  T,  P. 

9th  Row,  S,  P2,  O,  T,  P,  O,  T,  P14. 

Cast  off  all  but  13  stitches,  work  them  thus,  P7,  O,  T,  P,  O,  T,  P. 
Repeat  from  1st  row. 


RUSSIAN  CROCHET-STITCH  BED-COVER. 

This  Bed-Cover  worked  in  squares  is  simple  and  rich  looking,  the 
stitch  forming  a sort  of  ridge.  When  the  squares  are  all  worked,  they 
are  sewed  together,  so  that  the  ridges  of  the  one  lie  contrary  to  the 
other,  which  produces  a very  good  effect.  At  the  corners  of  each 
square  there  is  a small  tuft  of  cut  cotton  ; which  is  made  by  winding 
some  plies  of  soft  cotton  round  a mesh  about  an  inch  wide  ; then 
withdrawing  it  from  the  mesh,  and  tying  it  round  the  centre  very 
firmly.  Double  it  up,  and  give  it  a stitch  or  two,  to  keep  it  together, 
then  cut  it.  Each  tuft  should  be  quite  round,  and  about  the  size  of 
sixpence,  or  larger. 

Cast  on  24  chain  stitches  with  the  coarsest  twisted  cotton.  What  I 
use,  is  called  4 plies  No.  6,  Dutch  cotton,  (hard  twisted,)  and  a hook 
gauging  No.  13.* 

1st  Row.  plain  French  tambour  stitch,  as  described  in  this  book, 


* In  gauging  the  hook,  the  part  to  be  measured  is  that  part  of  the  stem  directly 
above  the  hook. 


KNITTING.  285 

under  the  head  of  French  or  double  tambour  stitch.  At  the  end  of 
this  and  every  row  work  a single  chain  stitch.  (This  single  stitch,  if 
omitted,  would  in  that  row  diminish  a stitch.)  Now  turn  the  work  in 
your  hand,  so  as  to  work  back  again  without  cutting  off  the  cotton. 

2nd  Row,  work  in  double  tambour  stitch,  but  instead  of  taking  the 
upper  part  of  the  loop,  take  the  undermost,  which  is  the  outer  part  of 
the  work  next  the  fore-finger  of  the  left  hand.  #Repeat  as  2nd  Row, 
until  you  have  a square  crochet ; when  all  are  done,  join  them,  as 
before  described.  A plain  border,  of  a quarter  of  a yard  deep,  of  this 
stitch  all  round,  looks  very  well ; it  is  worked  in  four  lengths  and  four 
squares,  to  fit  in  each  of  the  corners. 

RUSSIAN  CROCHET-STITCH  PURSE. 

Albert  blue,  (or  a good  claret  colour,)  with  or  without  steel  beads, 
look  well.  A hook  gauging  No.  17,  and  three  hanks  of  common  sized 
purse  twist,  are  required. 

Cast  on  108  chain  stitches,  rather  loose,  for  a long  Purse. 

Work  exactly  as  described  for  bed-cover  stitch.  Continue  working 
until  you  have  about  six  inches.  Damp  it  with  a little  dissolved  gum 
Arabic  and  water,  and  stretch  it  out  till  dry. 

P.  S. — If  beads  are  wished,  use  No.  10  ; about  12  rows  are  required  ; 
thread  them  on  the  silk  before  commencing.  The  beads  are  put  on  in 
every  other  row,  and  every  other  stitch,  by  merely  slipping  a bead 
down  to  the  last  stitch  worked  ; then  crochet  the  stitch,  (which  fastens 
in  the  bead;)  then  work  a plain  stitch  ; then  a bead  as  before,  to  end 
of  row.  Join  up  this  Purse  by  crocheting  or  sewing  up  the  first  and 
last  row  at  each  end,  leaving  a space  in  the  middle  to  admit  the  money. 
Draw  up  the  ends  ; add  steel  rings  and  tassels  to  complete  the  Purse. 


Observe,  always  to  work  at  the  end  of  the  row  the  single  chain  stitch. 


286 


KNITTING. 


THE  ROY,  TRIANGULAR  NET  NECKERCHIEF,  OR  COIFFURE  A NEGLEGEE. 

This  is  net  in  shades  of  blue  and  stone  coloured  Berlin  wool ; (six 
shades  of  stone  colour,  six  of  blue,  and  one  of  white  ;)  commencing  with 
the  white  and  working  down  to  the  darkest  blue ; then  one  row  white  ; 
and  then  the  lightest  stone  colour  down  to  the  darkest.  Two  small 
hanks  of  each  shade,  a flat  bone  mesh  No.  8,  and  as  many  netting 
needles  as  shades  are  required. 

Cast  on  2 loops  with  white. 

1st  Row,  increase  on  the  1st  loop,  then  1 plain  stitch. 

2nd  Row,  tie  on  the  2nd  shade,  1 plain ; increase  on  middle  loop,  and  on 
the  last  loop. 

3rd  Row,  tie  on  the  3rd  shade,  2 plain ; increase  on  middle  loop,  1 plain ; 
increase  on  last  loop. 

4th  Row,  tie  on  the  4th  shade,  3 plain  ; increase  on  middle,  2 plain ; in- 
crease last  loop. 

5th  Row,  tie  on  the  5tli  shade,  4 plain ; increase  on  the  middle  stitch,  3 
plain  ; increase  on  last  loop. 

6tli  Row,  tie  on  the  6th  shade,  P5  stitches  ; increase  on  middle  loop,  P4  ; 
increase  on  last  loop. 

7tli  Row,  tie  on  the  white,  P6  stitches ; increase  on  middle  loop,  P5 ; in- 
crease on  last  loop  ; this  finishes  the  coloured  stripe. 

Continue  and  work  the  shade  of  stone  and  blue  alternately,  always 
increasing  on  the  middle  loop,  and  on  the  last  loop,  until  you  have 
about  140  stitches;  then  work  the  border  with  the  white  and  blue  as 
before  ; then  work  still  in  the  shades  of  blue  from  the  2nd  darkest  up 
to  the  white,  (increasing  all  the  time  as  before ;)  by  this  means  you 
have  the  border  double  the  breadth  of  the  stripe.  Now  take  a mesh 
1^  inch  wide,  and  work  a row  ail  round  the  Kerchief,  working  two 
stitches  into  each  of  the  loops.  This  fringe  row  should  be  done  with 


KNITTING. 


287 

the  third  lightest  shade.  Damp  and  stretch  it  out  till  dry.  The  top 
corner  of  this  Kerchief  is  turned  down.  It  looks  extremely  well  as  a 
loose  covering  for  the  head. 


COMFORT. 

Six  hanks  dark  mazarine  or  Albert  blue,*  4 plies  fleecy,  and  a pin 

No.  8,  are  required. 

Cast  on  54  stitches. 

1st  Row,  S,  plain,  and  3 more  rows. 

5th  Row,  S,  P2  edge  stitches — T,  repeat  T all  along ; edge  stitches  P3. 

6th  Row,  S,  P3  edge  stitches — B,  pick  up  a stitch  from  the  row  below, 
working  it  B ; it  is  that  part  of  the  loop  which  lies  across  be- 
tween the  stitch  you  have  just  knit  and  the  one  on  the  left  pin, 
and  draws  with  the  first  stitch  on  the  left  pin  ; repeat  B,  and 
the  picked  up  B,  all  along,  edge  stitches  P3. 

7th  Row,  S,  plain,  and  3 more  rows. 

11th  Row,  S,  P3  edge  stitches — T,  repeat,  edge  stitches  P3. 

12th  Row,  S,  P3  edge  stitches,  fpick  up  stitch,  and  B ; repeat  to  end, 

edge  stitches  P3. 

13tli  Row,  S,  P3  edge  stitches,  pearl  or  back  row,  ' edge  stitches  P3. 

14th  Row,  S,  P3  edge  stitches,  plain,  and  2 more  rows. 


* This  colour  not  being  very  fast,  it  comes  off  in  the  working,  to  prevent  which,  be- 
fore beginning,  wash  the  wool  in  lukewarm  water,  dissolving  a little  piece  of  white 
soap  in  it;  also  put  a little  pearl  ash,  (about  half  a table  spoonful;)  then  rinse  it 
again  in  lukewarm  water;  wring  it  well,  and  shake  it  while  drying.  Black  wool, 
and  other  dark  colours,  have  often  to  be  washed  before  working. 

t Observe  in  every  other  open  row,  the  pick-up  stitch  must  be  worked  before  the 
B,  otherwise  it  would  be  uneven,  (be  careful  not  to  work  one  upon  the  end  of  the  row 
after  the  B.) 


288 


KNITTING. 


VERY  USEFUL,  WARM,  AND  PRETTY  BOOT  FOR  A BABY. 

This  Boot  has  a coloured  shoe  front,  and  a white  leg*,  with  stripes  of 
colour  going  across  the  forefoot.  The  shoe  part  is  let  out  six  times  at 
toe  and  three  times  at  heel,  as  following  receipt  will  show.  This  Boot 
is  joined  up  after  it  is  worked.  Four  pins  of  No.  11,  and  one  hank 
of  blue,  four  plies  superfine  fleecy,  and  one  hank  white,  are  required. 

Cast  on  23  stitches  with  colour. 

1st  Row,  S,  plain — (this  is  the  sole  part.) 

2nd  Row,  S,  plain ; at  the  end  of  row  increase  a stitch,  by  picking  up  a 
stitch  from  the  row  below,  and  working  it,  then  knit  a plain 
stitch — (this  is  for  toe  part.) 

3rd  Row,  S,  plain  ; increase  a stitch  at  the  end  of  the  row,  as  before — (this 
is  for  heel  part ;)  repeat  as  2nd  and  3rd  rows  two  more  times. 

8th  Row,  S,  plain,  letting  out  at  toe  part,  as  before. 

9th  Row,  S,  quite  plain ; repeat  as  8th  and  9th  rows  two  more  times. 

14th  Row,  S,  plain,  fonr  more  rows,  which  finishes  at  toe  part. — If  yon 
have  worked  according  to  the  receipt,  yon  must  now  have 
eight  ridges,*  besides  the  cast-on  row. — Now  work  the  toe 
part  as  follows. 

19th  Row,  S,  P9  ; leave  the  other  22  stitches  on  the  pin,  take  a third  pin, 
and  work  back  the  toe  stitches  as  follows. 

20th  Row,  P 10;  this  makes  one  ridge  for  the  toe  part;  repeat  19th  and 
20th  rows  nine  more  times.  This  concluded,  you  have  now 
10  ridges  for  toe  part. 

39th  Row,  S,  P9,  feast  on  22  stitches  for  other  side  of  shoe,  to  correspond 
with  the  other  22  stitches  that  were  left  on  the  pin. 

40tli  Row,  S,  plain,  and  three  more  rows,  which  finishes  at  heel. 


* Two  rows  form  a ridge. 

t Cast-on  is  done  by  forming  a loop  on  one  of  the  fingers  of  the  left  hand,  and 
passing  it  on  to  the  right  hand  pin. 


KNITTING. 


289 


44th  Row,  S,  plain  to  toe,  all  but  three  stitches,  work  thus,  T,  P. 

45th  Row,  S,  plain  to  heel ; repeat  as  44th  and  45th  rows  two  more  times 
50th  Row,  S,  plain,  taking  in  at  toe,  T;  P. 

51st  Row,  plain,  all  but  three  stitches ; work  them  thus,  T,  P. 

Repeat  as  50th  and  51st  rows  two  more  times. 

56tli  Row,  S,  plain. — Then  cast  off  sole  part. 

Now  pick  up  the  22  stitches  that  were  cast  on  before,  to  correspond 
with  the  22  on  the  pin.  Tie  on  the  white  wool  at  the  heel,  and  work 
with  it  the  22  picked-up  stitches  ; then  pick  up  on  to  a separate  pin 
the  10  stitches  on  the  forefoot  (or  toe)  part,  and  work  them,  working 
the  last  stitch  of  the  10  stitches  with  the  first  of  the  22  stitches  that 
were  left  on  the  first  pin  : turn  and  work  the  10  stitches  back  again, 
lifting  the  last  of  the  10  stitches  before  working  it  on  to  the  pin  that 
has  the  22  white  stitches  on  it,  and  work  it  and  one  of  the  pin  stitches 
together.  Work  again  as  these  two  rows,  with  white,  always  working 
the  last  stitch  and  one  of  the  side  loops  together;  #tie  on  the  colour, 
(but  do  not  cut  off  the  white,  as  it  is  required  again;)  work  two  rows 
only  with  it  as  before  described,  then  four  with  white,  as  before,  then 
two  with  coloured,  then  four  with  white,  and  two  with  colour.  This 
finishes  forefoot.  Again  work  with  white  the  forefoot  stitches,  then  the 
remaining  side  stitches  plain  to  the  heel.  Next  row  work  as  follows, 
in  white,  from  one  side  of  heel  to  other. 

Row,  S,  plain ; repeat  as  this  row  22  more  times,  then  work  six  rows  B2, 
P2.  Then  tie  on  the  coloured,  and  work  B2,  P2, 

Cast  it  off;  join  up  the  boot  by  sewing  the  ridges  together  on  the 


* Do  not  break  off  the  white,  but  leave  it  and  every  other  row  when  you  are  not 
using  it ; twist  it  and  the  ball  you  are  knitting  with  so  as  not  to  make  a long  loop  Gn 

the  wrong  side.  This  must  be  done  with  either  of  the  balls  not  in  use. 

26* 


290 


KNITTING 


wrong  side,  therl  down  the  leg,  all  along  the  sole  and  up  to  the  top  of 
outlets  of  toe  ; then  turn  down  the  10  ridges  for  toe,  and  sew  them  flat 
down  to  form  a square  toe  ; draw  a little  piece  of  ribbon  (or  worsted 
platted)  round  the  ankle,  to  tie  it  with. 


LONG  BOOT. 

If  for  a long  stocking,  work  24  more  rows  white  before  finishing 
with  colour  at  top. 


UNDER  OR  SLEEPING  STOCKING. 

This  Woollen  Stocking,  for  wearing  under  silk  stockings,  is  very 
useful,  and  is  also  used  as  night  or  sleeping  stockings.  They  are 
worked  in  three  plies  u Lady  Betty,”  or  hard  twisted  u Lady  Betty,7 
or  if  that  cannot  be  supplied,  any  soft  fine  wool  yarn  will  do.  Two 
cuts  wool,  and  four  ivory  or  bone  pins,  No.  10,  are  required. 

Cast  on  64  stitches. 

1st  Round,  P2,  B2  ; repeat  to  end. 

Repeat  as  first  row  until  you  have  an  inch  worked  ; then  work 
quite  plain,  until  you  have  got  it  as  long  as  a stocking,  measuring 
from  the  very  top  of  stocking  down  to  the  extremity  of  toe  part. 
Begin  and  take-in  by  working  seven  stitches  plain,  then  take-in,  an* 
so  repeat  all  round  ; then  work  seven  rows  plain.  Now  six  stitches 
plain  ; then  take-in,  so  repeat  all  round  ; then  six  plain  rounds  ; then 
work  five  stitches,  again  take  in,  repeat  all  round  ; and  so  repeat  until 
you  have  taken  in  all  but  12  stitches  ; draw  them  up  with  a needle 
and  fasten  them  off  ' 


KNITTING. 


291 


BAG  IN  PURSE  CORD,  (NOT  PURSE  SILK,)  SPIDER-NET  PATTERN. 


This  Bag  is  make  up  on  a piece  of  pasteboard,  with  a white  lining 
below,  or  it  may  be  drawn  with  rings  and  tassels,  and  worn  without  a 
lining.  Two  skeins  of  cord,  and  2 pins,  No.  14,  are  required.  Cast 
on  48  stitches.  Work  5 plain  rows. 

6th  Row,  S,  P2,  edge  stitches,  O,  P,  O,  T,  P,  T,  repeat,  edge  stitches,  P3 
7tli  Row,  S,  P2,  edge  stitches,  pearl,  edge  stitches,  P3 

8th  Row,  S,  P2,  edge  stitches,  O,  P3,  O,  A,  repeat,  edge  stitches,  P3 
9th  Row,  S,  P2,  edge  stitches,  pearl,  edge  stitches,  P3 

10th  Row,  S,  P2,  edge  stitches,  T,  P,  T,  O,  P,  O,  repeat,  edge  stitches,  P3 
11th  Row,  S,  P2,  edge  stitches,  pearl,  edge  stitches,  P3 

12th  Row,  S,  P2,  edge  stitches,  A,  O,  P3,  O,  repeat,  edge  stitches,  P3 
13th  Row,  S,  P2,  edge  stitches,  repeat,  edge  stitches,  P3 

Repeat  from  6th  row  until  you  have  the  bag  about  3-8ths  long,  then 
work  the  5 plain  rows.  Cast  it  off 

This  stitch  makes  a very  pretty  Tidy,  a Scarf,  Shawl,  &c.,  &c. 


VERY  BEAUTIFUL  SHADED  BAG. 

This  Bag  is  worked  in  15  shades  of  scarlet,  commencing  about  three 
shades  from  the  very  darkest  that  can  be  had,  and  shading  successively 
up  to  the  bright  military  scarlet,  which  terminates  at  the  top  of  the 
Bag.  The  stitch  in  which  the  Bag  is  worked,  resembles  a round  net 
work  in  gold  colour  all  over  this  shaded  ground,  and  has  really  a rich 


292 


KNITTING. 


and  harmonious  effect.  (I  have  seen  it  worked  in  shades  of  green 
purse  twist,  and  gold  twist  for  the  net  work ; which  was  really 
splendid.)  The  material  may  either  be  purse  twist  or  Berlin  wool. 
When  worked,  make  it  up  by  sewing  it  together  at  the  bottom  of  the 
Bag.  Work  a knit  handle,  and  add  shaded  tassels  to  suit;  or  it 
may  be  made  up  many  ways,  to  suit  the  taste  of  the  wearer.  The  Bag 
in  gold  was  made  up  on  a foundation,  with  a rich  gold  cord  and  gold 
tassels.  If  done  in  silk,  1 hank  of  each  colour,  and  3 of  yellow  ; if  in 
wool,  a small  hank  of  each  shade,  and  6 of  gold  colour  or  yeliow,  and 
5 wires  of  No.  19,  are  required.  Cast  on  1$0  stitches  with  yellow, 
(gold  colour.) 

1st  Round,  plain. 

2nd  Round,  pearl,  and  1 more  round. 

Tie  on  the  darkest  colour,  and  work  as  follows : — 

4th  Round,  *S2,  P6,  repeat  all  round.  Repeat  as  4th  round  6 more  times. 

Tie  on  the  yellow,  and  work  as  follows  : — 

1-lth  Round,  plain. 

12th  Round,  pearl,  and  1 more  round. 

Tie  on  the  second  darkest  shade,  and  work  as  follows  : — 

14th  Round,  P4,  S2,  P2,  repeat  all  round,  and  6 more  rounds. 

Now  repeat  from  1st  round  with  the  shades  in  succession,  as  these 
two.  You  will  perceive  in  working  the  pattern,  each  time  it  takes  in 
two  more  shades  ; work  on  until  you  have  worked  up  to  the  lightest. 
Then  work  as  follows  for  top  of  the  Bag : — 

Tie  on  the  yellow,  and  work. 

1st  Round,  plain. 

2nd  Round,  pearl,  and  4 more  rounds. 


* S2,  is  to  lift  two  stitches  off  from  the  left  pin  on  to  the  right  without  working. 


KNITTING. 


293 


Work  the  Handle  with  double  silk  or  wool,  and  2 wires  of  No.  16. 
Cast  on  8 stitches  with  lightest  shade. 

1st  Row,  Ob,  j,,  repeat  to  end  of  row ; work  3 more  rows. 

Tie  on  the  yellow,  and  work  as  follows  : — 

5tli  Row,  plain. 

6th  Row,  pearl. 

Now  tie  on  the  second  lightest,  and  work  as  1st,  and  3 more  rows  ; 
then  again  with  yellow,  as  5th  and  6th  rows.  Work  on  in  this  way 
the  succession  of  shades  until  you  have  about  4j-  inches  done  ; this  is 
the  middle  of  the  handle  ; continue  still  as  before,  only  work  back 
with  the  same  shades  from  the  dark  one  you  have  just  finished  with, 
up  to  the  lightest.  Cast  it  off,  and  sew  it  up  to  make  the  handle  round. 
Fasten  it  inside  of  the  Bag. 

Another  method  of  working  the  Handle  is,  with  double  wool  or  silk, 
and  2 pins  No.  15. 

Cast  on  8 stitches  with  the  lightest  pink. 

1st  Row,  *0,  j, ; repeat  to  end  of  row. 

Every  row  of  the  handle  is  the  same  as  this.  Work  a little  less 
than  an  inch  with  each  of  the  five  following  shades,  2nd  lightest,  4th, 
6th,  8th,  and  10th  ; then  8th,  6th,  4th,  and  2nd  lightest.  Cast  it  off, 
and  join  it  up  lengthways,  by  sewing  it  together,  so  that  the  handle 
may  be  round  ; sew  it  on,  and  finish  as  before  described. 

MUFFETEES. 

Work  these  in  Albert  blue  wool,  over  a white  foundation,  as  before 


* When  an  open  stitch  occurs  at  the  edge  of  a back  row,  have  the  thread  in  front 
before  commencing,  and  pass  it  quite  round  the  wire ; then  work  the  j,. 


204 


KNITTING. 


described.  They  are  worked  in  the  Bag  stitch,  only  at  the  beginning 
work  four  more  pearl  rounds  of  the  blue,  so  as  to  make  a broader 
margin  at  the  bottom  of  the  MufFetee  ; also  at  the  top  work  four  more 
pearl  rounds.  Before  casting  them  off,  they  should  be  about  3J-  inches 
deep.  Five  wires  of  No.  18  ; 8 small  hanks  of  blue  Berlin  wool,  and 
6 of  white,  are  required. 

Cast  on  80  stitches,  for  a Lady. 

ANOTHER  MUFFETEE. 

Worked  in  stripes  of  a bright  full  pink  or  cerise  colour,  and  a deep 
rich  brown  or  claret.  Two  wires  of  No.  17,  and  9 small  hanks  of  pink 
and  3 of  brown  are  required.  Cast  on  50  stitches. 

1st  Row,  brown,  plain. 

2nd  Row,  pearl. 

*Tie  on  the  pink. 

3rd  Row,  plain,  and  5 rows  more. 

Repeat  from  1st  row  until  you  have  got  as  much  worked  as  goes 
round  the  hand  tightly.  Sew  them  up. 

WARM  MUFFETEES  FOR  BOYS. 

Worked  same  as  foregoing  MufFetees,  in  four  plies  fleecy.  They 
can  be  worked  all  one  colour,  21  stitches,  2 pins  No.  9,  and  1 hank 
of  wool,  are  required. 

PETITE  NET  ECHARPE  FOR  THE  NECK. 

This  is  netted  in  four  shades  of  Berlin  wool,  either  pink  or  blue,  and 


* Before  beginning  every  other  row,  twist  the  wool  you  are  not  working  with  round 
the  one  you  are  working,  so  as  to  prevent  a long  loop  of  worsted  behind. 


KNITTING. 


295 


a white  ; 2 rows  of  each  shade,  working  from  darkest  np  to  white,  and 
receding  from  lightest  colour  to  darkest,  so  that  the  white  comes  always 
in  the  centre  of  the  light  part  of  stripe, — consequently,  when  repeating 
this  stripe,  the  dark  shades  meet.  Recommence  with  the  2nd  darkest 
shade,  and  work  as  before  ; (this  is  to„prevent  the  4 rows  of  dark  com- 
ing together.)  Net  4 stripes ; or,  if  wished  wider,  work  another 
stripe  j draw  up  the  ends  ; add  a shaded  tassel  to  each.  Cast  on  170 
stitches.  A flat  mesh  No.  7,  and  6 hanks  of  each  of  the  colours,  are 
required. 


HANDSOME  CROCHET  BAG. 

This  Bag  is  composed  of  a round  bottom  and  stripes  of  chinee  twist 
and  plain  twist  alternately.  The  colours  are  arranged  as  follow  : — the 
round  part  in  gold  coloured  shaded  silk,  the  1st  stripe  following  dark 
blue,  the  2nd  stripe  shaded  purple,  the  3rd  stripe  brown,  the  4th  stripe 
shaded  scarlet,  the  5th  stripe  dark  green,  the  6th  stripe  shaded  yellow. 
One  hank  of  extra  coarse  purse  silk  of  each  kind,  and  one  of  white,  3 
of  the  yellow  shade,  a crochet  handle,  and  a steel  crochet  needle,  No. 
1,  (that  is,  the  very  coarsest  needle  of  the  kind,)  are  required.  The 
Bag  is  all  worked  in  double  tambour  stitch. 

Cast  on  3 chain  stitches  with  shaded  yellow ; join  them  to  form  the 
round  ; then  work  as  follows  : — 

1st  Round,*  work  two  stitches  in  every  stitch,  so  as  to  increase  it. 

2nd  Round,  work  1 plain  stitch,  work  twof  in  next  stitch ; repeat  this  all 
round. 


* I always  carry  on  a thread,  as  it  makes  the  work  much  more  solid  and  more 

even. 

t Observe,  in  working  the  two,  first  work  on  the  wrong  side  of  the  work  a stitch, 


296 


KNITTING. 


3rd  Round,  work  2 plain  stitches,  work  two  in  next  stitch  ; repeat  this  all 
round. 

4th  Round,  work  3 plain  stitches,  work  two  in  next  stitch ; repeat  this  all 
round. 

5th  Round,  work  4 plain  stitches,  work  two  in  next  stitch ; repeat  this  all 
round. 

Thus  you  perceive  there  are  fewer  stitches  made  every  round  ; so 
continue  in  proportion  until  you  have  got  your  round  piece,  measuring 
4 inches  in  diameter,  then  work  in  the  stripes  as  before  described  ; 
every  stripe  is  worked  about  6 rounds ; always  between  each  stripe 
work  a plain  round  in  white.  This  Bag  is  not  lined,  but  drawn  with 
a cord  through  12  small  rings;  add  tassels  at  the  side,  and  one  the 
same  size  at  the  bottom  ; shaded  yellow  look  best. 


KETTLE  HOLDER. 

Two  pins  of  No.  7,  and  one  hank  of  9 plies  fleecy,  (say  purple 
fleecy,  as  this  colour  washes  best,)  are  required. 

Cast  on  21  stitches. 

1st  Row, *  *0,  S,  T,  repeat  to  end  ; every  row  is  the  same. 

Knit  on  until  it  is  square. 

This  is  the  same  stitch  as  the  Russian  Shawl,  Hassock,  and  Comfort, 
and  the  Polish  Pelisse,  Shaded  Cushion,  and  Brioche. 


which  forms  a sort  of  ridge  in  the  round  before,  then  work  the  stitch  in  the  usual 
way ; this  makes  no  hole,  and  I think  it  much  the  best  way  of  increasing. 

* To  make  an  O at  the  beginning  of  a row,  you  must  have  the  thread  in  front,  of 
the  wire  before  beginning,  which  makes  a stitch  when  you  work  the  T. 


KNITTING. 


207 


ELEGANT  KNIT  SCARF,  WITH  COLOURED  WAVED  ENDS. 


This  Scarf  is  worked  with  two  plies  Lady  Betty  Wool  in  the  cen- 
tre, and  with  English  wool,  in  shades,  for  the  ends.  Shades  of  gold 
colour  look  very  well,  going  from  light  down  to  a pretty  bright  maroon 
colour  ; and  shades  of  scarlet  look  extremely  rich  and  beautiful,  not 
going  lighter  than  the  military  shade.  Two  hanks  of  white,  and  one 
hank  of  each  of  the  six  shades  of  English  embroidery  wool,  and  two 
ivory  pins,  No.  10,  are  required.  Observe  to  cast  on  and  off  very 
loosely. 

Cast  on  132  stitches  with  white. 

1st  Row,  plain,  and  7 more  rows. — Tie  on  the  darkest  shade,  and  work  as 
follows. 

9tli  Row,  S,  P5  edge  stitches  T,  T,  T,  T,  O,  P,  O,  P,  O,  P,  O,  P,  O, 
P,  O,  P,  O,  P,  O,  T,  T,  T,  T,  B,  repeat  edge  stitches,  P6. 

10th  Row,  S,  P5  edge  stitches  P,  B23,  repeat  to  end,  edge  stitches,  P6. 

Repeat  9th  and  10th  rows  again. 

Tie  on  the  2nd  darkest  shade,  and  work  as  the  darkest  shade. 
Having  done  so,  work  every  shade  in  the  same  way  up  to  the  lightest, 
then  again  from  2nd  lightest  to  darkest,  which  finishes  one  stripe  of 
colour.  By  this  means  you  have  worked  the  pattern  over  22  times. 
Now  work  the  pattern  12  times  in  white  ; then  work  again  the 
coloured  stripe  as  before ; then  8 rows  all  plain  with  white.  This 
finishes  one  end. 


27 


298 


KNITTING. 


Commence  the  centre  pattern  as  follows 

lsc  Row,  S,  P5  edge  stitches,  P2,  O,  T,  P3,  Q,  T,  O,  T,  O,  T,  *T,  O, 
T,  O,  T,  O,  P3,  O,  T ; repeat  edge  stitches,  P6. 

2nd  Row,  S,  P5  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P6 

3rd  Row,  S,  P5  edge  stitches,  P,  T,  O,  P3,  T,  O,  T,  O,  T,  O,  P,  O,  T 

O,  T,  O,  P3,  T,  O,  P ; repeat  edge  stitches,  P6. 

4th  Row,  S,  P5  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P6. 

5tli  Row,  S,  P5  edge  stitches,  P2,  O,  T,  P,  T,  O,  T,  O,  T,  O,  P3,  O,  T 
O,  T,  O,  T,  P2,  O,  T ; repeat  edge  stitches,  P6 

6th  Row,  S,  P5  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P6. 

7th  Row,  S,  P5,  edge  stitches,  P,  T,  O,  P.  T,  O,  T,  O,  T,  O,  P5,  O,  T, 
O,  T,  O,  T,  T,  O,  P;  repeat  edge  stitches,  P6. 

8th  Row,  S P5  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P6. 

9tli  Row,  S,  P5,  edge  stitches,  P2,  O,  T,  P,  O,  T,  O,  T,  O,  T,  P,  O,  T, 
P2,  O,  T,  O,  T,  O,  T,  O,  T ; repeat  edge  stitches,  P6. 
10th  Row,  S,  P5  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P6. 

11th  Row,  S,  P5  edge  stitches,  P,  T,  O,  P3,  O,  T,  O,  T,  O,  T,  P2,  T,  O, 

T,  O,  T,  O,  P,  T,  O,  P ; repeat  edge  stitches,  P6. 

12th  Row,  S,  P5  edge  stitches,  pearl,  all  but  edge  stitches,  P6. 

Repeat  from  1st  row,  until  the  centre  is  long  enough.  When 
finished,  it  should  measure  about  three  yards  ; the  other  end  is  worked 
as  first. 

Some  ladies  prefer  working  the  centre  of  white  first ; but  before 
casting  off,  work  the  border  as  I have  before  described  ; then  cast  off 
Now  return  to  the  cast-on  row,  and  pick  up  the  stitches,  and  work  the 
other  end — this  is  to  make  both  ends  work  in  the  same.  I generally 
work  as  first  described,  as  I do  not  dislike  the  unique  appearance  at 
each  end.  Damp  with  a little  dissolved  ^um  and  water,  and  stretch  it 
quite  even  out  till  dry  ; add  a fringe  of  white. 


* This  T,  T,  is  formed  into  an  A,  by  working  T;  then  the  other  T,  and  lifting  the 
first  over  the  last. 


KNITTING. 


299 


CAP  FOR  WEARING  UNDER  THE  BONNET. 

It  is  worked  in  Berlin  wool,  and  composed  of  stripes  alternately  col- 
oured and  white,  and  tied  at  the  back  and  under  the  chin  with  a piece 
of  ribbon.  Four  hanks  white  and  8 of  blue,  and  two  pins  No.  9,  are 
required. 

Cast  on  82  stitches  with  blue. 


1st  Row,  S edge  stitch,  plain, 

edge  stitch,  P. 

2nd  Row,  S edge  stitch,  pearl, 

edge  stitch,  P. 

3rd  Row,  S edge  stitch,  plain, 

edge  stitch,  P. 

4tli  Row,  S edge  stitch  pearl, 

edge  stitch,  P. 

5th  Row,  S edge  stitch,  T ; repeat  T to  end  of  row, 

edge  stitch,  P. 

6th  Row,  S edge  stitch,  P,  M ;*  repeat 

edge  stitch,  P. 

7th  Row,  S edge  stitch,  plain, 

edge  stitch,  P. 

8th  Row,  S edge  stitch,  pearl, 

edge  stitch,  P. 

9th  Row,  S edge  stitch,  plain, 

edge  stitch,  P. 

10th  Row,  S edge  stitch,  pearl, 

edge  stitch,  P. 

11th  Row,  S,  T edge  stitches,  T;  repeat  T to  end 

of  row,  T,  P edge 

stitches,  P. 

12th  Row,  S,  P edge  stitches,  M,  P ; repeat, 

edge  stitches,  P2. 

13th  Row,  S edge  stitch,  plain, 

edge  stitch,  P. 

14th  Row,  S edge  stitch,  pearl, 

edge  stitch,  P. 

15tli  Row,  S,  T edge  stitches,  T ; repeat  T to  end  of  row,  edge  stitches,  T,  P 

16th  Row,  S,  P edge  stitches,  P,  M ; repeat 

edge  stitches,  P2. 

Repeat  from  9th  to  12th  row. 

Tie  on  the  white,  and  repeat  13th  to  16th  row,  and  again  from  9th 

to  12th  row. 

* This  Made-stitch  is  done  by  picking  up  a stitch  from  the  row  below  and  working 
it.  It  is  that  part  of  the  loop  between  the  stitch  just  worked,  and  the  one  you  are 
going  to  work.  When  you  pick  it  up,  you  will  perceive  it  will  draw  with  both 
stitches  on  either  side. 


300 


KNITTING. 


Tie  on  the  blue,  and  repeat  13th  to  16th  row,  and  again  from  the 
9th  to  the  16th  row. 

Tie  on  the  white,  and  repeat  from  9th  to  16th  row. 

Tie  on  the  blue,  and  repeat  from  9th  to  16th  row,  and  from  9th  to 
12th  row. 

Tie  on  the  white,  and  repeat  from  13th  to  16th  row,  and  from  9th 
to  12th  row. 

Tie  on  the  blue,  and  work  one  plain  row. 

Turn  down  a small  piece  of  first  coloured  stripe,  so  as  to  form  a hem 
over  the  forehead, — (the  piece  turned  in  for  hem,  is  from  the  centre 
of  the  first  open  row;)  this  must  be  done  before  the  side  stitches  are 
picked  up. 

Now  pick  up  and  work  the  stitches  down  the  side  of  Cap ; there 
should  be  about  thirty  in  number  worked.  Next  row  pearl  them  all 
back,  and  all  along  the  top  of  the  Cap ; then  pick  up  the  other  side  of 
Cap,  and  work  as  before.  Next  row,  plain  ; second  row,  pearl ; third 
row,  T.  Repeat  T to  end  of  row ; fourth  row  P,  M ; repeat  to  end 
of  row ; fifth  row,  plain  ; sixth  row,  pearl ; then  cast  off.  Now  hem 
it  all  round,  as  before  described,  for  front  part. 

STRONG  GUARD  FOR  A LADY  OR  GENTLEMAN. 

Three  hanks  of  common  sized  purse  silk,  and  2 wires  of  No.  20  are 
required. 

Cast  on  4 stitches. 

1st  Row,  Ob,  j,;  repeat  to  end  of  row. 

Every  row  is  worked  the  same.  Work  it  to  the  length  required. 


NETTING. 


LONG  NET  PURSE  FOR  A LADY. 


Worked  with  purse  twist,  two  sizes  finer  than  the  common. 

Cast  on  90  stitches;  work  with  a mesh,  No.  18  ; it  requires  3 skeins 
silk ; net  up  the  sides  together  ; the  cast-on  and  the  last  row  worked 
are  those  that  are  joined. 

All  netting  is  improved  by  damping  and  stretching  out  till  dry. 

LONG  NET  PURSE  FOR  A LADY. 


Work  with  silk  the  same  size  as  first  net  purse, — only  this  differ- 
ence : the  first  five  rows  are  plain,  the  sixth  is  worked  as  a plain  row ; 

27* 


302 


NETTING. 


instead  of  putting  the  thread  once  round  the  needle  before  working, 
pass  it  twice  round  ; by  this  means  it  forms  a row  of  long  loops,  then  5 
rows  plain ; work  until  you  have  84  rows. 

The  sixth  row,  if  wished  to  be  twisted  as  in  plate,  work  it  and  the 
following  row  in  round  netting,  as  described  in  following  receipt,  only 
keeping  in  mind  that  the  thread  must  be  passed  twice  round  the  mesh 
in  sixth  row. 

ROUND  NETTING  FOR  A GENTLEMAN^  LONG  PURSE. 


Cast  on  100  stitches  with  second-sized  purse  twist,  mesh  No.  16; 
work  100  rows. 

Mode  of  Netting. — Form  the  loop  round  your  fingers  as  in  common 
netting ; pass  the  netting-needle  and  thread  quite  through  the  finger- 
loop,  bringing  it  up  behind  the  mesh,  between  the  mesh  and  fore-finger, 
still  keeping  the  fingers  and  loop  on  them  in  the  same  position ; re- 
verse the  needle,  and  pass  it  down  through  the  first  loop,  (on  the  foun- 
dation,) passing  the  needle  in  a slanting  direction  over  the  mesh; 
draw  it  quite  through,  then  withdraw  your  fingers  from  the  loop,  as  in 
common  netting ; continue  every  loop  in  this  way.  This  makes  a 
very  strong  purse. 

The  following  Open  Netting  receipts  may  be  worked  for  Veils,  Caps, 
Purses,  Scarfs,  Shawls,  Mittens,  Cuffs,  Sleeves,  D’oyleys,  Fish-cloths, 
Toilet-covers,  Curtains,  &c. 


NETTING. 


303 


HONEYCOMB  NETTING  FOR  VEIL. 


Worked  in  white  China  silk;  this  veil  is  usually  dyed  after  it  is 
worked  ; it  is  finished  by  a netted  scollop  border ; the  silk  should  be 
about  the  thickness  of  the  third-sized  purse  twist,  the  mesh  for  veil, 
No.  12. 

1st  Row,  plain. 

2nd  Row,  work  the  2nd  loop  first,  the  1st  loop  second,  then  the  4th  loop, 
then  the  3rd  loop. 

Proceed  in  this  way  to  the  end  of  row. 

3rd  Row,  plain. 

4th  Row,  net  the  1st  loop  plain ; then  proceed  as  2nd  row  ; finishing  stitch 
plain. 

You  will  perceive  in  the  4th  row  you  have  a plain  stitch  at  the  com- 
mencement and  end  of  the  row,  which  is  not  in  the  second.  This 
occurs  on  every  alternate  twisted  row,  so  as  to  make  the  twisted  loops 
come  in  their  proper  places,  by  withdrawing  the  mesh  after  the  third 
or  plain  row  is  done  ; you  will  observe  a sort  of  twist  in  one  of  the 
loops,  then  two  loops  plain,  the  fourth  loop  a sort  of  twist ; you  will  by 
this  know,  in  the  following  row,  that  the  two  loops  that  are  plain  are 
those  you  work,  by  taking  the  last  first,  and  first  last,  as  described  in 
the  second  row.  You  must  regulate  the  number  of  stitches  to  be  cast 


304 


NETTING. 


on  for  a veil  by  those  usually  worn,  as  they  vary  much  according  to 
fashion.  The  mode  I adopt,  when  I wish  to  know  how  many  stitches 
will  be  required  for  any  piece  of  work,  is  by  working  a few  stitches — 
say  20  stitches,  and  then  20  rows ; by  this  means  you  will  exactly 
ascertain  the  width  and  length  of  20  stitches  : then  if,  for  example, 
after  measuring  the  width  and  length,  you  would  wish  it  to  be  10  times 
the  width  of  the  little  piece,  you  will  have  200  stitches  to  cast  on. 


VERY  PRETTY  LONG  GRECIAN  NET  PURSE  FOR  A LADY. 


Worked  with  the  finest-sized  purse  twist.  You  may  work  the  plain 
rows  in  a bright  colour,  and  the  open  rows  in  white,  or  you  may  work 
it  all  one  colour,  according  to  taste,  with  meshes  Nos.  12  and  19.  Cast 
on  100  stitches,  and  net  about  100  rows,  alternately  6 rows  plain  and 
an  open  one,  as  described  in  receipt. 

1st  Row,  No.  19  mesh,  plain,  and  5 more  rows. 

7th  Row,  No.  12  mesh,  plain. 

8th  Row,  No.  19  mesh  : twist*  the  1st  and  2nd  loops  together,  and  net  the 
side  loop  ; repeat  to  end  of  row. 


* Twist  the  first  and  second  loops  together,  by  forming  the  loop  on  your  fingers, 
as  in  plain  netting;  pull  the  needle  and  thread  quite  through,  as  described  in 
round  netting,  then  insert  the  point  of  netting-needle  into  the  first  loop,  as  in  the 


NETTING. 


305 


9th  Row,  No.  19  mesh,  plain,  and  5 more  rows. 

15th  Row,  No.  12  mesh,  plain. 

16th  Row,  No.  19  mesh,  1 plain  stitch,  and  proceed  as  8th  row. 

GRECIAN  NET  FOR  A VEIL. 

Worked  with  white  China  silk  ; cast  on  even  numbers  ; work  with 
two  meshes,  the  one  No.  9,  the  other  No.  16. 

1st  Row,  No.  9 mesh,  plain. 

2nd  Row,  No.  16  mesh;  twist  the  1st  and  2nd  loops  together, (as  described 
in  preceding  receipt,)  then  net  the  little  side  loop,  as  described 
in  receipt  for  long  Grecian  purse  immediately  before  this. 

The  veil  is  worked  in  this  way : — a plain  row  with  large  mesh,  and 
a twisted  row  with  the  small,  always  keeping  in  mind  you  begin  and 
end  every  other  twisted  row  with  a plain  stitch,  so  as  to  make  the  twist 
come  in  its  proper  place. 


common  way,  pointing  to  the  top;  pass  it  along  to  the  second  loop;  pull  it  with  the 
point  of  the  needle  through  the  first  loop.  Having  now  the  second  loop  on  your  needle, 
again  catch  the  first  loop,  by  gently  raising  the  point  of  needle;  pull  it  through  the 
second;  this  done,  you  will  now  have  the  first  loop  only  on  the  needle;  draw  it  through; 
withdraw  your  fingers  from  the  finger-loop,  as  in  common  netting.  The  next  stitch 
to  be  worked  is  a very  small  loop,  which  appears  as  if  it  were  a loose  knot  on  the 
side  of  the  twisted  stitch ; it  is  the  loose  part  of  the  second  loop  that  was  twisted 
through  the  first.  I do  not  think,  however,  that  the  Grecian  net  can,  by  any  descrip- 
tion, be  reduced  to  practice,  without  some  previous  knowledge  of  it. — Shortly  after 
the  publication  of  the  first  edition,  I am  happy  to  say  that  several  ladies  informed  me 
(and  some  brought  the  net  with  them  to  show)  they  had  worked  from  this  receipt 
without  any  other  assistance. 


306 


NETTING. 


SINGLE  DIAMOND  NETTING. 


1st  Row,  *P,  oP ; repeat  to  end  of  row. 

2nd  Row,  P,  Pl  ; repeat  to  end  of  row. 

3rd  Row,  oP,  P ; repeat  to  end  of  row. 

4th  Row,  Pl,  P ; repeat  to  end  of  row. 

Explanation  of  Terms. — P,  a plain  stitch. — oP,  a long  loop  ; instead 
of  passing  the  thread  once  round  the  mesh  before  netting  the  stitch 
off,  pass  it  twice  round  the  mesh  to  form  the  long  loop. — Pl,  a loose 
stitch,  formed  by  working  the  present  loop  to  meet  the  short  one  in  the 
preceding  row. 

DIAMOND  OF  FIVE  STITCHES  FOR  A LONG  PURSE. 


Work  with  mesh  No.  18,  and  second-sized  purse  twist ; 3 skeins  are 

* You  will  perceive,  when  you  withdraw  the  mesh  from  this  row,  there  will  be  a 
long  and  a short  loop  alternately. 


NETTING. 


307 


required.  Cast  on  73  stitches.  Work  the  following  receipt  eight  times 
over  j this  completes  the  purse. 

1st  Row,  oP,  P5  ; repeat  to  end  of  row ; finishing  stitch  is  oP. 

2nd  Row,  Px,  Pl,  W",  P4,  W ; repeat  to  end  of  row ; finishing  stitch  is 
Px. 

3rd  Row,  Px,  Pl,  W,  P3,  W,  Px  ; repeat  to  end  of  row ; finishing  stitch 
is  Px. 

4tli  Row,  P,  Px,  Pl,  W,  P2,  W,  Px  ; repeat  to  end  of  row  ; finishing  stitch 
is  P. 

5tli  Row,  P,  Px,  Pl,  W,  P,  W,  Px,  P ; repeat  to  end  of  row ; finishing 
stitch  is  P. 

6th  Row,  P2,  Px,  Pl,  Px,  P ; repeat  to  end  of  row ; finishing  stitch  is  P. 

7th  Row,  P2,  Px,  oP,  P2 ; ditto, 

8th  Row,  P3,  W,  Px,  Pl,  W,  P ; ditto, 

9th  Row,  P2,  W,  Px,  Px,  Pl,  W,  P ; ditto, 

10th  Row,  P2,  W,  Px,  P,  Px,  Pl,W  ; ditto, 

11th  Row,  P,  W,  Px,  P2,  Px,  Pl,  W ; ditto, 

12th  Row,  Pl,  Px,  P3,  Px ; ditto, 

Repeat  from  first  row. 


ditto, 

P. 

ditto, 

P. 

ditto, 

P. 

ditto, 

P. 

ditto, 

P. 

ditto, 

Pl. 

Explanation  of  Terms. — oP,  see  Index  of  net  terms ; Px,  a plain 
stitch,  the  cross  is  only  to  show  it  was  a long  loop  in  the  former  row  ; 
W,  withdraw  the  mesh  before  working  the  next  loop,  (see  Index  ; P2, 
two  plain  stitches.) 


LEAF  NETTING. 


Cast  on  5 stitches  for  every  pattern  you  wish  ; 2 loops  for  each  edge ; 
mesh  No.  14,  and  cotton  No.  50. 


308 


NETTING. 


1st  Row,  2 plain  for  edge,  *3  plain  ; increase  4 in  next  loop  ; increase  4 in 
the  next ; repeat  to  end  of  row  from  star ; 2 plain  for  edge. 

2nd  Row,  2 plain  for  edge ; ^gather  in  all  the  loops  that  were  increased  on 
the  two  loops  above-described,  into  one  stitch,  (you  will  find 
nine  loops  in  all  on  the  increased  loop,)  4 plain ; repeat  to  end 
of  row  from  star,  2 plain  for  edge. 

3rd  Row,  plain. 

4th  Row,  2 plain  for  edge,  *2  plain,  increase,  4 in  next  loop,  increase  4 on 
next  loop,  1 plain;  repeat  to  end  of  row  from  star,  2 plain  for 
edge. 

5th  Row,  2 plain  for  edge,  *1  plain  ; gather  in  the  9 loops,  3 plain  ; repeat 
to  end  of  row  from  star,  2 plain  for  edge. 

6th  Row,  plain,  repeat  from  first  row. 

Increase  is  to  net  so  many  given  stitches  into  one  loop : so,  to  increase 
4,  you  must  net  five  times  to  give  four  loops,  as  one  must  be  knit  to 
keep  up  the  number  of  cast-on  stitches. 

DOTTED  NET. 


1st  Row,  oP,  in  the  same  loop  increase  2 stitches  ; repeat  to  end  of 
row.  All  the  rows  are  the  same. 

Explanation  of  Terms. — oP,  instead  of  passing  the  thread  once  round 
the  mesh,  as  in  a plain  stitch,  pass  it  twice  round  before  netting ; in- 
crease 2 stitches  by  netting  2 stitches  in  the  same  loop. 


NETTING. 


309 


FRENCH  GROUND  NET. 


1st  Row,  P,  oP ; repeat  to  end  of  row. 

2nd  Row,  Px,  Pl  ; repeat  to  end  of  row. 

3rd  Row,  *oP,  JP ; repeat  to  end  of  row, 

4th  Row,  Pl,  Px  ; repeat  to  end  of  row. 

5th  Row,  P,  *oP,  fP;  repeat;  end  and  stitch  simply  oP. 

Repeat  from  2nd  row. 

Explanation  of  Terms. — oP,  before  letting  off  your  loop  on  the 
foundation,  pass  your  needle  and  thread  quite  through  the  finger  loop, 
as  described  in  Grecian  net,  then  insert  the  point  of  needle  down  through 
the  top  loop,  which  you  will  find  exactly  above ; on  the  second  last  row, 
in  a slanting  direction,  to  the  right  of  the  first  loop  on  last  row,  through 
which,  with  the  point  of  your  needle,  draw  up  the  first  loop  on  the  last 
row.  Net  it  off;  by  so  doing,  it  causes  the  second  loop  on  the  last  row 
to  come  partly  up  through  the  top  loop.  You  therefore  net  it  from  that 
part  which  presents  itself  above  the  top  loop, — this  being  a very  small 
one.  This  little  loop  is  represented  in  the  receipt  thus — JP,  with  this 
exception,  when  it  occurs,  as  it  will  at  every  other  twisted  row,  it  must 
be  a plain  stitch  at  the  beginning  and  at  the  oP  finishing  of  the  row, 
as  will  be  seen  in  5th  row  of  receipt. 


310 


NETTING. 


SCOLLOP  FOR  BORDERS  OF  VEILS,  COLLARS,  CAPS,  ETC. 


1st  Row,  cast  on  one  loop  for  each  scollop  yon  wish. 

2nd  Row,  flat  mesh  No.  1,  increase  12  into  each  loop. 

3rd  Row,  round  mesh  No.  15,  net  each  of  the  increased  loops  off’  plain. 
4th  Row,  round  mesh  No.  15,  plain. 

The  thread  I used  for  the  above  meshes  was  about  the  fineness  of  the 
hird-sized  purse  twist. 


ANOTHER  SCOLLOP  FOR  BORDER. 


1st  Row,  cast  on  1 loop  for  each  scollop  required. 

2nd  Row,  flat  mesh  No.  1,  increase  22  loops  on  each. 

3rd  Row,  round  mesh  No.  14,  net  each  of  the  increased  loops  plain. 
4th  Row,  round  mesh  No.  19,  oP,  increase  2 loops  into  the  same  stitch 
5th  Row,  round  mesh  No.  14,  net  all  the  long  loops  only. 

6th  Row,  round  mesh,  No.  14,  plain. 

7th  Row,  round  mesh,  No.  14,  plain. 


SCOLLOP. 


1st  Row,  cast  on  a plain  stitch  for  each  scollop  required. 


NETTING. 


811 


2nd  Row,  flat  mesh  No.  1,  increase  20  into  each  loop. 

3rd  Row,  round  mesh  No.  14,  net  all  the  increased  loops,  each  plain. 
4th  and  5th  Rows,  round  mesh  No.  14,  plain. 


LONG  PURSE  OF  OPEN  STITCH  OF  SINGLE  TAMBOUR. 

Cast  on  160  single  chain  stitches. 

1st  Row,  3 chain  stitches,  not  attached  to  the  cast-on  row  ; attach  a 
stitch,  by  working  a stitch  on  the  fourth  stitch  of  the  cast-on  row  of 
foundation. 

2nd  Row,  always  make  your  attached  stitch  on  the  centre  one  of 
the  3 chain  stitches  worked  in  the  last  row,  then  three  chain  stitches. 

Every  succeeding  row  is  done  in  this  way.  When  sufficient  is  done 
for  forming  the  purse,  join  it  up  in  the  usual  way,  by  tambouring  it 
together  about  inches  at  each  side,  and  draw  it  up  at  each  end.  The 
attach  stitch  may  be  a bead  stitch 


PLAIN  FRENCH  TAMBOUR  LONG  PURSE,  (SOMETIMES  CALLED  DOUBLE 
TAMBOUR.) 

Work  with  a fine  ivory  hook  ; this  hook  being  coarser  than  the  silk, 
gives  it  the  appearance  of  an  open  stitch.  The  purse  is  alternately 
worked  on  the  right  and  wrong  side. 

Mode  of  Working. — Cast  on  100  loops  in  single  chain  stitch,  having 
the  last  of  the  cast-on  loops  on  the  needle.  2nd  row,  insert  the  needle 
in  the  first  loop,  and  catch  the  silk  from  behind  ; pull  it  through  the 
loop.  You  have  now  2 loops  on  the  needle,  then  catch  the  thread, 
and  pull  it  through  the  two  loops ; this  forms  one  stitch.  So  repeat 
in  every  loop  to  the  end  of  row  ; 90  rows  worked  in  this  way  form 
the  purse. 


312 


NETTING. 


FRENCH  TAMBOUR  LONG  PURSE. 

Cast  on  130  stitches  for  a gentleman’s,  and  110  for  a lady’s  purse. 
This  is  worked  with  a fine  needle  and  ivory  handle,  and  common- 
sized purse  twist,  and  all  worked  on  one  side.  When  you  come  to 
the  end  of  the  row,  cut  off  the  thread,  and  draw  it  through  the  last 
loop,  which  fastens  it.  2nd  row,  commence  at  the  same  stitch  which 
you  began  the  last  row  on,  and  work  in  the  same  way.  Continue  till 
it  is  sufficiently  wide,  then  join  it  by  tambouring  it  together  ; 4 skeins 
twist  are  required. 


OPEN  TAMBOUR  PURSE. 

Cast  on  220  stitches  ; work  with  a fine  tambour  needle  and  handle ; 
8 skeins  of  third-sized  purse  twist  are  required. 

1st  Row,  begin  with  one  of  the  cast-on  stitches  on  the  needle,  throw 
on  a stitch  on  your  needle,  by  casting  the  thread  over  it ; insert  the 
needle  into  the  second  loop,  catching  the  silk  in  from  behind,  and  pull 
it  through  ; you  now  have  three  loops  on  the  needle,  again  cast  on  a 
stitch,  pull  it  through  the  first  two  on  the  point  of  the  needle  ; there 
are  now  two  loops  on  it,  again  cast  on  another,  pull  it  through  the  two ; 
you  have  now  only  one  loop,  cast  on  one,  pull  it  through  the  one ; 
having  now  one  on  the  needle,  commence  as  before  described. 

This  stitch  is  worked  on  every  other  loop  only,  thereby  leaving  one 
unworked,  which  forms  the  open  part  of  stitch.  Continue  working 
thus  as  many  times  as  you  think  sufficient  for  a purse ; join  it  up. 

This  stitch  makes  a very  beautiful  purse  worked  all  on  the  right 
side,  always  cutting  the  thread  off  at  the  end  of  each  row,  (but  leaving 
as  much  of  the  thread  as  will  fasten  it  neatly  behind;)  working  as 
follows : — 


NETTING. 


313 


Work  2 open  rows  with  white,  then  10  plain  rows  of  double  tam- 
bour stitch  with  light  blue,  2 open  rows  of  white,  10  plain  rows  of 
double  tambour  stitch  with  black ; repeat  this  3 more  times,  which 
forms  the  purse. 

The  purse  is  much  improved  by  working  a pattern  in  gold  colour 
on  the  black,  and  on  the  blue,  a pattern  in  steel  and  gold  beads. 

OPEN  TAMBOUR  STITCH. 

Cast  on  200  stitches  with  third-sized  twist. 

1st  Row,  3 double  tambour  stitches,  3 chain  stitches ; repeat  to  end 
of  row,  always  making  the  double  stitches  three  stitches  apart  from  the 
last. 

2nd  Row,  work  the  3 double  tambour  stitches  round  the  three  chain 
stitches  of  the  last  row. 

Repeat  as  last  row  till  the  purse  is  finished. 


28* 


. 

* 

■ 


■ 


/ 


SHAWL,  COLLAR,  SLIPPER, 


THE 


EOXAL  SHETLAND  SHAWL, 

LACE  COLLAR, 


CHINA  PURSE  RECEIPT  BOOK. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

J.  L.  GIHON,  102  CHESTNUT  ST. 
1854. 


ADDRESS. 


In  presenting  this  little  Manual  to  the  Ladies,  Mrs.  J.  B. 
Gore  most  sincerely  trusts,  that  as  her  study  has  been  to  pro- 
duce the  receipts  in  the  most  careful  and  explicit  manner  pos- 
sible, combined  with  the  elegant  appearance  of  the  articles  as 
illustrated,  will  be  sufficient  to  induce  all  Ladies  to  patronize 
and  recommend  this  cheap  and  valuable  companion  to  the 
Work-table. 


ILLUSTRATION  OF  THE  SHETLAND  WOOL  SHAWL  FOLDED. 


THE 


SHETLAND  WOOL  SHAWL. 


FOR  THE  CENTRE. 

Cast  on  200  stitches  on  needles  No.  7. 

First  Row. — Knit  two  ; knit  two  together  ; thread  forward  ; knit 
one ; thread  forward  ; knit  two  together ; knit  one ; knit  two 
together ; thread  forward ; knit  one ; thread  forward ; knit  two 
together  ; knit  one. 

Second  Row. — Plain  knitting. 

Third  Row. — Knit  two  together  ; knit  one  ; thread  forward  ; knit 
three  ; thread  forward  ; knit  three  together  ; thread  forward  ; knit 
three  ; thread  forward  ; knit  three  together. — At  the  end  of  this  row , 
plain  knit  the  two  last  stitches. 

Fourth  Row. — Plain  knitting. 

Fifth  Row. — Knit  two  ; thread  forward  ; knit  two  together  ; knit 
one  ; knit  two  together  ; thread  forward  ; knit  one  ; thread  forward  ; knit 
two  together  ; knit  one ; knit  two  together  ; thread  forward ; knit  one. 

Sixth  Row. — Plain  knitting. 

Seventh  Row. — Knit  three ; thread  forward  ; knit  three  together ; 
hread  forward  ; knit  three  ; thread  forward  ; knit  three  together  ; 
thread  forward  ; at  the  end  of  this  row  bring  the  thread  forward  ; 
knit  two. 

Eighth  Row. — Plain  knitting. 

These  eight  rows  must  be  repeated  till  a square  is  knitted . 

29 


822 


LACE  COLLAR 


BORDER  FOR  THE  SHETLAND  WOOL  SHAWL. 


THIS  IS  FOR  ONE  HALF. 

Cast  on  600  stitches  on  needles  No.  3. 

First  Row. — Knit  two  together  four  times ; thread  forward  ; knit 
one  eight  times  ; knit  two  together  four  times ; purl  one ; knit  two 
together  four  times ; thread  forward  ; knit  one  eight  times  ; knit  two 
together  four  times  ; purl  one. 

Second  Row . — Purl  knitting. 

Third  Row. — Plain  knitting. 

Fourth  Row. — Purl  ; commence  again  as  at  first  row.  After 
having  knitted  a piece  half  a yard  in  depth,  knit  six  rows  plain  and 
purled  alternately  ; then  six  rows  of  holes  worked  thus,  one  row  plain, 
second  row  thread  forward  ; knit  two  in  one,  and  so  on,  third  plain  ; 
then  six  rows  of  plain  and  purled.  To  form  the  corner  two  and  three 
stitches  must  be  knitted  together  in  the  centre  and  at  the  ends,  com- 
mencing from  the  plain  rows. 


THE  LACE  COLLAR. 


No.  I. 


Needles,  No.  26.  Cotton,  No.  50. 

Cast  on  36  stitches,  knit  2 plain  rows. 

First  Rote. — Cotton  forward  ; knit  one  * cotton  forward ; knit  one ; 


RECEIPT  BOOK. 


823 


slip  one ; knit  two  together  ; pass  the  slip  stitch  over  them ; knit  one  ; 
cotton  forward;  knit  one;  cotton  forward;  knit  one;  slip  one  ; knit 
two  together  ; pass  the  slip  stitch  over  them ; knit  one. 

Second  Row. — Purl  knitting. 

Third  Row. — Cotton  forward  ; knit  three  ; cotton  forward ; slip 
one ; knit  two  together  ; pass  the  slip  stitch  over  them  ; cotton  for- 
ward ; knit  three ; cotton  forward ; slip  one  ; knit  two  together ; pass 
the  slip  stitch  over  them. 

Fourth  Row. — Purl  knitting. 

Fifth  Row. — Knit  one  ; slip  one  ; knit  two  together  ; pass  the  slip 
stitch  over  them  ; knit  one ; cotton  forward ; knit  one ; cotton  forward ; 
knit  one  ; slip  one ; knit  two  together  ; pass  the  slip  stitch  over  them  * 
knit  one ; cotton  forward  ; knit  one  ; cotton  forward. 

Sixth  Row. — Make  one  purl  the  rest. 

Seventh  Row. — Slip  one  ; knit  two  together ; pass  the  slip  stitch 
over  them ; cotton  forward ; knit  three  ; cotton  forward ; slip  one ; 
knit  two  together ; pass  the  slip  stitch  over  them  ; cotton  forward  ; knit 
three  ; cotton  forward. 

Eighth  Row. — Make  one  purl  the  rest ; commence  again  as  at  first 
row  ; repeat  the  above  eight  rows  fifty-four  times,  and  cast  off  loosely. 


LACE  FOR  COLLAR. 

No.  I. 

Needles,  No.  26.  Cotton,  No.  50. 

Cast  on  17  stitches. 

First  Row. — Slip  one ; knit  two  ; thread  forward  ; knit  two  to- 
gether ; knit  one  ; thread  forward  ; knit  two  together  ; knit  one ; thread 
forward  ; knit  two  together  ; thread  forward  ; knit  two  together  ; thread 
forward  ; knit  two  together  ; thread  forward  ; knit  two  plain. 


324 


THE  ROYAL  BRIGHTON  SLIPPER. 


Second  Row. — All  plain  until  you  have  six  stitches  for  the  border. 

Third  Row. — Slip  one  ; knit  two  ; thread  forward  ; knit  two 
together  ; knit  one  ; thread  forward  ; knit  two  together  ; knit  two  ; 
thread  forward  ; knit  two  together,  and  so  on  as  in  the  first  row  ; 
repeat  second  and  third  rows  until  you  have  seven  plain  stitches  on 
your  right-hand  needle.  After  the  heading,  then  cast  off  all  into  one 
on  the  left-hand  needle  ; put  the  thread  twice  round  the  needle,  and 
knit  the  last ; repeat  the  second  row  ; this  completes  the  pattern.  After 
the  lace  is  sewn  on,  the  stitches  must  be  picked  up,  and  knit  one  plain 
row ; the  second  row,  knit  two  together  every  twelfth  stitch  ; the  third 
row  plain  ; the  fourth  row,  knit  two  together ; thread  forward  ; knit 
two  together,  and  so  on  ; the  fifth  row,  plain  ; then  cast  off. 


THE  ROYAL  BRIGHTON  SLIPPER 


Make  a chain  of  fifteen  stitches  in  single  crochet ; crochet  two 
stitches  in  the  middle  stitch  of  every  row,  until  you  have  completed 
twelve  rows,  which  is  sufficient  for  the  front.  Take  up  twelve  stitches 
on  one  side ; crochet  thirty  rows,  and  join  them  to  the  other  side  of 
the  front ; then  catch  the  stitches  up  round  the  top,  and  crochet  one 
row. 

For  the  frill,  crochet  three  stitches  in  every  loop  in  single  crochet, 
very  loose  to  form  a full  frill. 


LACE  COLLAR 


325 


When  finished,  turn  the  slipper  inside  out,  and  sew  on  a cork  sole : 
then  pass  a ribbon  round  under  the  frill,  and  tie  the  bow. 

The  above  is  exceedingly  pretty  in  eight  thread  shaded  Berlin  wool. 


THE  LACE  COLLAR. 


No.  II. 


Needles,  No.  26.  Cotton,  No.  50. 

Cast  on  53  stitches,  purl  1 row. 

First  Bow. — Knit  one  ; purl  one  ; knit  two  together ; knit  two  ; 
the  thread  forward  ; knit  one  ; thread  forward  ; knit  two  ; knit  two 
together.  Repeat  from  (a).  Finish  with — purl  one  ; knit  one. 

Second  Bow. — Knit  one ; 5?  knit  one  ; purl  two  together ; purl 
one  ; thread  forward,  turning  it  round  the  needle ; purl  three  ; turn 
the  thread  round  the  needle  ; purl  one  ; purl  two  together.  Repeat 
from  (b).  Finish  with — knit  two. 

Third  Bow. — Knit  one  ; (1}  purl  one  ; knit  two  together ; thread 
forward ; knit  five ; thread  forward ; knit  two  together.  Repeat 
from  (c).  Finish  with — purl  one  ; knit  one. 

Fourth  Bow. — Knit  one ; purl  two  together ; turn  the  thread 

round  the  needle  ; purl  seven  ; turn  the  thread  round  the  needle  ; purl 

29* 


326 


LACE  COLLAR  RECEIPT  BOOK. 


three  together.  Repeat  from  (d).  Finish  with — turn  the  thread  round 
the  needle  ; purl  two  together;  knit  one. 

Fifth  Row. — Knit  two  ; thread  forward  ; knit  two  ; knit  two  to- 
gether. Repeat  as  m the  first  row  from  (a).  Finish  with,  thread  for- 
ward ; knit  two. 

Sixth  Row. — Knit  one ; purl  two  ; turn  the  thread  round  the 
needle  ; purl  one  ; purl  two  together.  Repeat  as  the  second  row 
from  (b).  Finish  with — thread  round  the  needle  ; purl  two  ; knit  one. 

Seventh  Row. — Knit  four  ; thread  forward ; knit  two  together 
Repeat  as  in  third  row  from  (c).  Finish  with— thread  forward;  knit 
four. 

Eighth  Row. — Knit  one ; purl  four ; turn  the  thread  round  the 
needle ; purl  three  together.  Repeat  as  in  fourth  row  from  (d).  Finish 
with — turn  the  thread  round  the  needle  ; purl  four  ; knit  one. 

Ninth  Roiv. — Commence  again,  as  at  first  row.  ' 

After  the  lace  is  sewn  on:  the  stitches  must  he  picked  up,  and  two  plain 
rotes  knitted , then  cast  off  rather  tightly. 


LACE  FOR  COLLAR. 

No.  II. 

Needles,  No.  26.  Cotton,  No.  50. 

Cast  on  17  stitches. 

First  Row. — Slip  one  ; knit  one  ; thread  twice  round  the  needle ; 
purl  two  together  ; knit  one  ; thread  twice  round  the  needle  ; purl  two 
together  ; knit  one  ; thread  twice  round  ; knit  two  together ; thread 
twice  round  ; knit  two  together  ; knit  five. 

Second  Row. — Knit  seven ; purl  one ; knit  two ; purl  one  ; knit 
one ; thread  twice  round ; purl  two  together ; knit  one  ; thread  twice 
round  ; purl  two  together  ; knit  two. 


RIBBON  PURSE  RECEIPT  BOOK. 


Third  Row. — Slip  one ; knit  one ; thread  twice  round  ; purl  two 
together ; knit  one;  thread  twice  round  ; purl  two  together ; knit  the 
rest  plain. 

Fourth  Roiv. — Knit  twelve  ; thread  twice  round  ; purl  two  to- 
gether ; knit  one  ; thread  twice  round  ; purl  two  together  ; knit  two. 

Fifth  Row. — Slip  one  ; knit  one  ; thread  twice  round  ; purl  two 
together  ; knit  one  ; thread  twice- round  ; purl  two  together  ; knit  one  ; 
thread  twice  round  ; knit  two  together  ; thread  twice  round ; knit  two 
together  ; thread  twice  round  ; knit  two  together  ; knit  five. 

Sixth  Row. — Knit  seven ; purl  one  ; knit  two ; purl  one  ; knit  two ; 
purl  one  ; knit  one;  thread  twice  round  ; purl  two  together ; knit  one; 
thread  twice  round  ; purl  two  together  ; knit  two. 

Seventh  Row. — Slip  one  ; knit  one  ; thread  twice  round  ; purl  two 
together  ; knit  one  ; thread  twice  round  ; purl  two  together  ; the  rest 
plain. 

Eighth  Row. — Cast  off  five,  leaving  seventeen  stitches ; knit  nine 
more;  thread  twice  round  ; purl  two  together;  knit  one  ; thread  twice 
round  ; purl  two  together  ; knit  two  ; commence  again  at  first  row. 


THE  CHINA  PURSE. 


One  Piece  of  Shaded  China  Ribbon.  Bone  Knitting  Pins,  No.  7. 

Cast  on  in  plain  knitting  thirty  stitches  ; knit  thirty  rows,  which  is 
sufficient  for  the  purse.  You  must  be  careful,  in  knitting,  not  to  turn 
the  ribbon,  as  it  will  spoil  the  design  of  the  purse.  When  finished, 
join  it  up  neatly,  and  trim  it  with  gold  or  silver  ornaments. 


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